


The Wolves of the Old World

by Uthizaar



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Accents, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Bathroom Sex, Big Dicks, Blow Jobs, Bottom Jackson Whittemore, Canon-Typical Violence, Cheating Parents, Clubbing, Dead Aiden, Eccentric Character, England (Country), Europe, Explicit Sexual Content, First Time, Flirting, Frottage, Grief/Mourning, Historical References, Kissing, Lies, Lots of Cum, Löwenmensch, M/M, Masturbation, Memories, Multi, Muscle Worship, Muscles, Mystery, Nipple Play, Nudity, Original Löwenmensch Lore, POV Alternating, Paris (City), Post Season 2, Scents & Smells, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Fantasy, Skinny Dipping, Thirsty Ethan, Top Original Male Character, Train Sex, Werebears, cum, no hands, original lore, original supernatural creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 07:21:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16013051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uthizaar/pseuds/Uthizaar
Summary: Jackson is in London, ever the Omega, even with the little extra he's got going on, his parents are still in the dark. His father has a high powered job, his mother is doing all those things the well-off women do, including the pool boy...so Jackson strikes out on his own, travels from England to France, meets up with Isaac and Argent for a turn, hears what happened to Allison, which only drives him deeper into the continent. Italy, Germany, the Alps, a pristine mountain paradise where he runs into someone from the New World, someone who understands his feelings of isolation and loss and restlessness.





	1. Leaving

“I don’t know why you have to go _now._ ” His mother put careful emphasis on the final word, though Jackson could tell he only had half her attention, the rest devoted to the garden beyond the terrace they were sitting on. 

“It’s summer, school’s out, and anyway the English system is weird.” Jackson shrugged, sparing a glance towards his father’s seat, the spread-out broadsheet of _The Times_ held aloft like a paper barrier. The werewolf sighed, “Look, I got to do three subjects for my A-levels this past semester and it doesn’t matter that I chose Art, and Sport, and freaking Leisure Studies! I mean, come on, what was the point of all that?”

“His grades are fine, dear.” The newspaper spoke with a detached shake. “With what Jackson was averaging in Beacon Hills and the donation the firm is giving to the college, he’s got his place. So it’s not a big deal if he goes travelling for a while; maybe it’ll do him good!”

“Thanks, father.” Jackson muttered stiffly, his stomach twisting at the way the man had spoken about him, as though he wasn’t even there. The werewolf turned his eyes back on his mother, mouth forming a thin line as he saw that she too was distracted. Jackson shifted on his chair, following her gaze down the sloping green lawn towards the outdoor pool. He always found it too cold to swim but used the hot tub from time to time. Apparently, that was reason enough to hire a pool boy.

Ian was his name, handsome in a sort of rugged way, though too bulked and hairy for Jackson’s tastes. He had a chiselled jaw, though his shoulders spread too wide and his arms had an oddness to their musculature, perhaps enhanced through more than pumping iron. Jackson had noticed that while Ian was friendly towards him and his father, he really began to light up whenever his mother was around. He didn’t like that. Not just because it had become obvious that they were having an affair, but more that Jackson could smell it. It was a potent scent; a heavy, turgid aroma that wafted between them whenever his mother was near the pool boy, just like now, her attention fixed on the movements of Ian’s arms pressing against his too-tight t-shirt.

“Uh, but yeah, mother,” Jackson continued, pulling his eyes from Ian when the pool boy tossed off his shirt to reveal a wall of rippling muscle covered in dark hair. “I’m leaving this afternoon, like father said, it’s a good idea, and I’ll be home before the new term starts.” The lie passed his lips like a cool breeze, but neither the newspaper or the adulterer seemed to notice. Jackson shrugged and finished his croissant, smiling to himself as his mother finally removed her hungry stare from Ian’s shirtless torso when the pool boy dove underwater.

“Oh, of course, dear.” She looked at him, tight smile on her face as her scent shifted again. “It will be a pity not having you around the house, and with your father working so much, I suppose I’ll just have to find a new hobby to occupy my time!”

“I’m sure you will.” Jackson returned the false smile and repressed the urge to gag as her unrestrained lust slopped into the air. “Did you find a gardener to help you out at last?”

“Oh, yes, Julian, _darling_ boy.” His mother laughed, another dishonest sound in the summer air. “He just turned sixteen, you know, I was thinking it would be nice to give him a bonus, don’t you think, David?”

“Sure.”

Jackson rolled his eyes at his father’s distant reply and finished his cup of coffee, using the fumes to drown out the rampant desire from the other end of the table. _Bonus, huh? The tail can be a pain sometimes, but why can’t I switch off the enhanced senses just once? Ugh, the images of that “bonus” are going to put me in therapy for years!_ He pressed his lips together in a line and stood up. “I should finish packing; the taxi will take me to the station in an hour. Uh, I’ll say goodbye to you then.”

“Oh, sorry, Jackson.” The newspaper was lowered for a moment and his father’s face appeared, reading glasses on the end of his nose, brows pulled tight. “I have a conference call with Lucinda in Paris…”

“It’s ok, I understand.” Jackson began to walk towards the door. “I’ll send you a postcard from the city when I get there.” 

There was no reply, but he hadn’t expected one; his parents’ attention lost in their diversions again, two strangers sitting at a table under the bright English sunshine.


	2. The Last Ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a much longer chapter than I had planned, but it flows together well, so I’m happy to let it go. Some chapters will be long, others short. I’m still working on the details of the plot, but in terms of smut and relationships, there’ll be some Jackson/OMC and Ethan/OMC scenes before they find each other later in the story. Those with OMCs will be once off or casual hook-ups, especially for Jackson as he’s travelling and living life!

Ethan sighed and sat back down on the grassy embankment that surrounded the old graveyard. No one had been buried here for a long time, centuries perhaps. But that made sense, the village that he had passed through was equally abandoned, one of those lost places in the world that everyone seemed to forget about, off the beaten path and left to fall into ruin as the last of the young people left for the city. The werewolf looked at the two moss-covered gravestones in front of him, the smooth stone edges of the crosses were weathered by the passing of time and storms that boiled over from the nearby Alps. Ethan could see the snow-capped peaks over the tumbled down roofs of the houses, eyes darting upwards, so he didn’t have to confront the truth that he had discovered here.

“Last one left…” The words were released in a whispered hush. “I always figured that, but at least I still had Aiden.” Ethan muttered his brother’s name, heart still tightening, the same spear of grief lancing through his chest. The werewolf reached out a clawed finger to trace over the scratchings on the gravestones, too faded to read even with his enhanced eyes. _Steiner._ He nodded as the letters fell into place, his hand dipping lower to feel the year inscribed beneath the almost disappeared family crest. _1820…the line stopped here, but they made it out, someone at least, across Europe and then the Atlantic, hmm._

Ethan stood up and pulled his satchel around to his crotch. He undid the worn leather straps and reached a hand inside, smooth porcelain kissing his fingertips until he found the lid and pulled the urn out. A smile pulled at his lips, a strange sensation after so long being wrapped up in the grimness of his bereavement, but there was a sense of genuine contentment flooding through his stomach and chest. “We made it, Aiden; this is where we came from! I traced them all the way back from California to New England, then across the ocean to Vienna and over the mountains to here: Laufenthal. There’s a lake nearby, rotted remnants of fishing boats, falling down houses, but no people. We’re…I’m the last of the line.”

 

Ethan walked away from the graveyard, carefully placing the urn back into his satchel. He chewed on his lower lip and looked around as the restlessness that had driven him from Beacon Hills returned. _I thought maybe coming here, finding our origins, seeing if there was anyone in our family still alive…I thought it might have helped, but it doesn’t look like that._ The werewolf followed the overgrown path away from the village and towards the lake, his thoughts rolling around his mind as though it was a giant empty house, echoes of his words bouncing back at him. He vaulted a low wall and landed on the stony shore.

The water was still, undisturbed by even a single breeze, the hot midday sun beaming down on him and causing the blue liquid stretching across the distance to shimmer and glint invitingly. Ethan lowered his bag to the ground and unbuttoned his shirt, dropping it on top, followed swiftly by his boots, socks, and trousers. He glanced around himself as his fingers lingered on the waistband of his trunks, but it was as quiet out by the water as it had been in the abandoned village.

He took a deep breath as he entered the water, the surprisingly cool and crisp alpine lake refreshing him in a way that the werewolf had not been expecting. Ethan walked out until his nakedness was swallowed up and the water lapped calmly at his stomach, muscles clenching involuntarily as he got used to the chill. Closing his eyes and wetting his lips, Ethan crouched down suddenly, submerging his entire body in the lake. “Ah!” The cry burst from his throat once he surfaced, wet hair tossed back from his forehead, breath coming harder for a moment. “Oh, damn! That’s cold!”

“Good though,” Ethan muttered to himself, rubbing his hands across the hairless skin of his well-built chest to restore some of the warmth lost. He moved to one side, frowning as his feet slipped over the smooth rocks of the lakebed and onto soft sand. The water seemed to instantly heat up too and the werewolf smirked slightly, dropping his hands to allow the sun to shine on his already tanned skin. “Strange.”

Ethan lowered himself back into the water, legs bent until only his head was above the surface. Thoughts skimmed across his mind, none of them mooring however and he drifted through the familiar memories of the final fight with the Oni, the days afterwards, leaving Beacon Hills, leaving Danny. His mind’s eye moved onto fresher memories; customs enforcement at Paris, the greenery of the French countryside giving way to rock and forest as he moved towards the Alps, following trails and clues and scraps of history until at last he found the birthplace of his ancestors. Ethan blinked, pulling himself out of his thoughts as all notion of time had almost slipped from his mind. 

_Now that I’m here, now that I’ve brought us both here, Aiden, what am I meant to do next?_ Ethan sighed and stood up, letting the water rush down his body. Sometimes it felt as though his brother was still with him, a sensation of proximity that always was wrenched away if he searched for it. The werewolf shook his head slowly, almost hearing Aiden’s gently chiding voice. “Yeah, I’ve barely explored the village, there might still be something there, a memento or-” Ethan turned around, facing the shore for the first time since he entered the water. He felt his pulse quicken when he suddenly noticed that he was no longer alone. “Well, crap.”

 

Ethan waded towards the shore, stepping out of his circle of warm water and back to the coolness of the rest of the lake. He held his hands over his crotch in a show of modesty, though the golden-haired youth who was standing near his pile of clothes seemed preoccupied with something further out on the lake, hands shading his eyes. Ethan took the slow walk in to examine the teenager, his face sharpening with each step. 

_Handsome, very Germanic looking._ The thought slipped into his mind unbidden, but Ethan didn’t disagree with himself, nostrils flaring to catch a scent of pine trees and something faintly exotic, a fragrance he couldn’t place. The guy was of average height, blond hair gelled up, the sides cut short in a style that echoed Ethan’s own. A t-shirt and shorts combo managed to show off enough skin to confirm that he worked out, biceps bulging when the teenager folded his arms and finally looked at him.

“Hi there!” The werewolf called out, keeping his voice friendly. “Err, guten…tag?”

“I speak English.” The teenager’s voice was deeper than Ethan expected, his youthful appearance belying his age. His accent was almost neutral, only the faintest trace of German around the syllables. “This is a strange place to find anyone, much less an American.”

“I was looking for something.” Ethan replied quickly, reaching the shore and walking over to his discarded bag and clothes. Before he reached for the small towel inside, his hand tapped the porcelain urn reassuringly. _Good._ Ethan pulled his towel out, aware that the other guy was watching him. _Odd, I can’t pick up his scent anymore or if he’s interested in me. I mean, he’s looking, but there’s no curiosity or embarrassment or arousal._ “Um, why do you say it’s strange to find people out here? You’re here.”

“My family lives nearby.” He smiled slightly, and even though the werewolf couldn’t smell it, Ethan noticed when the guy did an obvious eye flick over his mostly naked body. The teenager held out a hand. “I’m Axel.”

“Ethan.” 

“Hmm.” Axel smiled again as they shook hands, his skin warm and smooth to the touch. “What brings you out to this forgotten corner of the Alps, Ethan? No one has lived in this village for a long time.”

“I’ve noticed.” Ethan returned the grin and pulled his trunks up before dropping the towel on his clothes, allowing the rest of his body to dry naturally. 

“Do you mean to stay here?”

“Just for the night.” He frowned as the smile vanished from Axel’s boyish face and was replaced with a concerned grimace, his scent flaring for a moment as though it was a sparkler in the evening sky. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Hmm, it’s not safe to linger in the village after nightfall.” Axel unfolded his arms, though kept the bicep of his right arm pressed to his chest, left hand caressing the smooth muscle almost unconsciously, as though it was a habit. “Let me be frank, I know what you are, werewolf, we’ve been following your movements through the valley until you came here.”

“Uh huh.” Ethan went still, his senses sharpening as he listened for any additional heartbeats nearby, no longer trusting his nose. “And who are ‘we’ exactly?”

“The remnants, the last pack of Löwenmensch.” Axel’s eyes flared for a moment; a dark yellow that made Ethan pause. “Last in the world, or so my parents said.”

“And what is a, um, Löwenmensch?”

“Werelion doesn’t quite have the same eloquence, huh?” The guy offered him a friendly smile. “But I have a good feeling about you, you don’t seem to be like the others.”

“Uh…” Ethan blinked as suddenly he was able to detect Axel’s scent again, the same blend of pine trees and strangeness that must have been his Löwenmensch nature. He wetted his lips and glanced around the shoreline. “Why have you been watching me?”

“To see if you were a threat? I asked them to leave you alone when you entered the village. You hide it well, but I know the scent of grief, and it lingers around you.” Axel nodded at the hilly forest behind Ethan. “We live up there, it’s safe, secluded, away from the…others that forage during the night. You’re welcome to come with me: have some dinner, sleep on a comfortable bed, leave in the morning. But only if you want to.”

Ethan’s eyes had narrowed during the conversation, but Axel’s pulse was even, his tone pleasant, if somewhat neutral. “I’m…not sure.”

“Ok,” The Löwenmensch smirked at him again. “It was nice to meet you, Ethan, I hope you found what you were looking for. Oh, and if you leave now, you should be out of the valley before the sun sets.”

“Yeah.” Ethan frowned again, this time looking down at the white jar gleaming in his satchel, hearing an echo of Aiden’s silent encouragement in his ears. _Always game for another adventure, huh, bro? And Axel is pretty hot…_ By the time he pulled his eyes away, Axel was nearly at the other end of the shore, almost lost to sight in the trees. “Hey! Wait up!”

Axel turned and stopped moving, allowing Ethan to catch him once the werewolf had put on his shoes. “Um, you have a great body,” He flushed as Ethan glanced at him. “But, my family might get the wrong impression if all you’re wearing are shoes and underwear, pants maybe?”

“Oh, sure.” Ethan nodded and grinned at him, this time hearing the skip in Axel’s heartbeat when he bent over to pull his cargo trousers out of the bag. After slipping them on, Ethan met Axel’s eyes and tilted his head. “Where next?”


	3. The Joys of Public Transport

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is explicit sexual content in this chapter that takes place in a semi-public environment.

Did it matter that his parents were more absent from his life here in the UK than they had been in Beacon Hills? Jackson shrugged as the question hung in the air before him, he wasn’t sure if he liked it better this way. It was as though all the lies and the pretending had fallen away once they left the States, and surprisingly, both his mother and father smelled a lot happier than when they were at home, in Beacon Hills. 

Jackson had told his therapist as much in their last session before he went travelling. The man had arched his brows at the statement, but Jackson just grunted, admitting that it made leaving easier. He suspected that the therapist knew he meant more than just leaving for summer vacation, but if the man had said anything, neither of his parents brought it up. “Whatever, I’m nearly out of here.”

He zipped up edges of his leather travel bag and slung his laptop bag across his back, securing the straps and nodding at his reflection in the mirror. Jackson took a moment to fix his hair and grinned at himself. “Ok, Europe, here I come!” The werewolf looked around his bedroom one last time before picking up his travel bag and walking out. His phone buzzed with a message from the taxi company and Jackson grunted. “Outside already, ok.”

The tiled atrium was empty of either parent and Jackson walked down the stairs slowly. His ears were straining to hear if one of them might put in a surprise appearance, but that was a vain hope. “Yeah, like I expected anything else.” Jackson shook his head as a scowl settled across his face. He pulled open the front door and strode out, handing his bags to the driver waiting next to the cab. 

 

The hustle and bustle of the train station crowded over him as Jackson collected his ticket from the automated teller and stood in line with the rest of the passengers. It suddenly became orderly and quieter, a phenomenon that only occurred in his new home town. Whenever he was travelling back from London, there seemed to a herd of people that all tried to cram into the first available carriage with no regard for personal space or manners. Jackson didn’t want to admit it, but he could see it in the expressions of the travellers around him. _Money, all about money. They don’t take their cars into the city because of the hassle and they can save a few more dollars-pounds-this way. That yacht isn’t going to pay for itself after all._

“Sir?”

“Huh, oh, here.” Jackson handed the attendant his ticket and held up his student ID in his other hand. The man glanced at it and then returned the ticket with a polite smile. 

“There you are, sir. Enjoy your trip!”

“Thanks.” He muttered and walked along the platform, looking for the carriage that matched his ticket. It wasn’t as busy as it sometimes was during term time, but Jackson still grimaced as a wave of unpleasantly mixed together scents crashed over him when he boarded the train. “Ugh.” The werewolf held his breath until he had passed the young teenager in the back row stuffing his face with fast food that smelt more than a little off. “Ah, number forty-seven, here we are.” 

Jackson stowed his bags above his head and unzipped his jacket, a short-sleeved t-shirt showing off his muscular arms. Before he sat down, Jackson pulled out the magazine that he had bought at the newsagents. He didn’t have any intention on actually reading _The Economist_ unless there was someone trying to talk to him, well, someone _unattractive._ Jackson smirked to himself as he watched a few handsome guys walk past his seat, a familiar strain making itself known at the front of his jeans.

It was a not-so-subtle reminder that it had been nearly a day since he had last got off, and Jackson shifted around to move his dick into a more comfortable angle, making the bulge less visible. He tapped the magazine absently, turning to stare out the window when a group of women in their thirties sat in the seats beside and opposite him. Jackson wrinkled his nose as their individual scents coalesced into a pungent aroma spiked by the artificial chemicals of the different perfumes. 

The train lurched forwards and they were off, Jackson dipping his hand into his pocket to pull out his phone and earphones. His music managed to thrust him out of his uncomfortable surroundings and allowed Jackson to look at the green, English country-side in relative peace as it rushed past. Now that he was actually on his journey, Jackson released some of the pent-up tension that had settled in his stomach over the past week. 

It wasn’t the old nervous anxiety that had plagued him in Beacon Hills, both before and during the monsters and werewolves, nor was it related to the lack of connectedness he felt with his classmates in his new school. Rather, it was a restless tension that no amount of working out or jerking off would banish. He laid awake long past two in the morning most nights, flat on his back, just looking up at the ceiling. Part of Jackson at first thought that it might have been related to not having a pack, that something inside of him needed the structure of Alpha and Beta. But whenever he considered searching out a werewolf pack in England, another part of himself woke up; the _other_ side of his dual supernatural talents. 

Scott and Deaton had both told him he was unique, as though that was a badge of honor or something. But they didn’t have to constantly make up excuses for torn underwear or trousers when the tail suddenly emerged. _I swear that thing has a mind of its own._ Jackson smirked out the window as they rushed through a small town outside the commuter belt. _There’s been more than a few close calls where I thought it would give me away; the Headmaster probably thought I was crazy with the way I wriggled about in my seat during orientation! Or the time Brian and I hooked up after the party…haha._

Jackson turned away from the window as the countryside gave way to sprawling industrial and commercial factories, concrete and steel replacing the picturesque villages. While the train wasn’t going to stop in London city itself, it was to pass through one of the main thoroughfares and exchange passengers and lines to head south through the Channel Tunnel. He glanced at the women sharing his table, but they were all engrossed in their smartphones. His head hurt from the lingering potency of their perfumes and Jackson picked up his magazine to try and distract himself.

It wasn’t really something he read that often, but his father had gotten him a subscription for Christmas the year before, telling him that he needed to stay up to date on world affairs. Plus, Jackson was pretty sure it made him look more intelligent instead of reading something nerdy like _PC Gamer_ or the softcore porn of _Men’s Health_ that he used to sneak a look at before he came out to everyone. 

 

The train was going slowly now, stopping frequently, people moving about, seats filling and then emptying just as fast. Jackson didn’t look up again until the three women stood up and left. He breathed a sigh of relief when they departed, his nose no longer feeling as though it was facing a full scale chemical gas attack. 

He stretched out his legs and crossed them under the table, slipping back into the opinion pieces until he heard a cough to his right. Jackson glanced up and pulled out one of his earphones. “Huh?”

“I asked if this seat was free?” The speaker was a handsome guy of about nineteen, maybe twenty, blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, and tanned skin. He gestured again opposite Jackson, an apologetic grin pulling at his lips. “Um, sorry-”

“No! Uh, I mean, sit down, yeah.” Jackson replied hurriedly, pink touching his cheeks. The guy grinned at him, a megawatt smile that lit up his face. Jackson looked around the half-empty carriage at the other free seats as the guy stowed his luggage above them next to his own. _Huh, he chose this one? Uh, ok, he’s super-hot, don’t stare too much!_

“Thanks, dude. I’m Oscar.”

“Jackson.”

“Nice to hear another American, been surrounded by a bunch of posh British dudes for the past week!” Oscar grinned again and sat down opposite Jackson, muscular arms folded across a tight-fitting t-shirt, the graphic stretched over his obviously well-developed pecs. 

“Yeah, I get that.” Jackson shrugged and closed his magazine, before reaching a hand into his pocket to turn off his music. _Fuck, this guy is so hot!_ “I’m from California originally, moved over with my parents a while back. You?”

“Ah, I’m from DC, just finished my first year in Georgetown, trying to figure out my life.” He laughed, and Jackson smiled back. “So I reckoned there was no better way to do that than to go backpacking around Europe for a few months; see Paris, Rome, Berlin, maybe head further east, you know?”

“Sounds cool.” Jackson swallowed as his eyes darted across Oscar’s face and down his chest, his gaze lingering on the guy’s strong arms. “I’m doing something similar, just haven’t started college yet and I don’t have my trip all planned out like that.”

“Oh, dude, it’s not planned!” Oscar leaned forward, extending his arms out so his hands were on the table, closer to Jackson’s own. “I mean, I have the interrailing ticket, you get one?”

“Yeah.”

“Right, so, you hop on, hop off, I got a bunch of friends scattered around that I’ll stay with when I can’t get a hostel, but I don’t care if I end up staying in the south of France for a week and only spend a day in Rome, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Jackson nodded again, his pulse racing as Oscar became more animated and gestured between them. He could also feel that their legs were almost touching, and his cock seemed to take that as the signal to really strain his pants. “I haven’t really thought much beyond getting to France though, I just wanted to get out of here first.”

“Haha, your parents are that bad?!”

“You have no idea.” He smirked and gestured at Oscar. “But never mind them, you’re thinking of heading into Eastern Europe then? I’ve heard it’s meant to be really beautiful in the summer.”

“That’s the plan, but, like, I’m pretty sure I’ll get into Prague and never want to leave.” Oscar’s eyes gleamed mischievously as he continued. “All those hot guys, man! And it’s like the gay porn capital of Europe!”

“Uh huh,” Jackson wet his lips and returned Oscar’s questioning grin. “That does sound like a good time. You planning on, uh, auditioning while you’re there? Pretty sure you’d be a big hit!”

“You reckon?” Oscar was looking at him obviously now and Jackson drew in the scent of his arousal greedily. The guy glanced around the carriage as though checking to see who could see them before he grabbed the front of his t-shirt and pulled it up to his collarbones, revealing a smooth, tanned, muscular chest and defined abs that reached into the low slung waistband of his shorts. “Maybe you could help me practice for it?”

“Oh fuck!” Jackson whispered as his eyes raked over Oscar’s exposed body. He flicked his gaze up into the guy’s confident smirk and nodded quickly. “For sure, dude! But I’m gonna need to, uh, see if you’ve got the full package.”

“Uh huh?” Oscar bit his lip and his expression became equally as hungry. “Restrooms in these trains are always pretty roomy, dude, c’mon.”

“Um, ok.” Jackson blinked as Oscar stood up and he was treated to a face-full of the guy’s shapely bulge kept mostly hidden in the folds of his baggy shorts. The werewolf waited for him to leave first and then followed quickly, all thoughts of the safety of his bag and laptop forgotten as lust and desire rushed through his mind and sunk into his crotch. 

 

The area by the door where the toilets were located was empty and after a quick glance in both directions, Oscar grinned, grabbed the front of Jackson’s shirt and pulled him into the bathroom. The sliding door automatically shut behind them and locked, Jackson being pushed up against it as Oscar started kissing him hard and fast. 

The scent of their arousal mingled in the air and Jackson dragged it into his lungs like it was the most addictive drug in the world. His hands were under Oscar’s t-shirt, pushing it up and over his head, their lust-fueled make out broken for a moment to allow him to toss it off. Jackson ran hungry eyes over the freed torso of the guy and unbuttoned his own shirt in a hurry. “So fucking hot! You must work out a lot, huh?”

“When I can, and you’re no slouch yourself!” Oscar pulled Jackson against his body again, this time grinding their crotches together as they continued to kiss each other passionately. Jackson ran his hands through Oscar’s short-cut blond hair and across his muscular shoulders even as Oscar responded by reaching down to unbuckle Jackson’s belt and snap the buttons on his trousers. “Mmh!”

“Aw, yeah!” Jackson moaned, arching his neck when Oscar moved his mouth away from tingling lips to kiss his way down Jackson’s throat. His trousers and underwear were pushed down with a frantic energy and Oscar’s tongue dragged a long line from Jackson’s clavicle to his shaved smooth crotch. “Fuck, dude!”

“Mmh, that is a nice cock!” Oscar smacked his lips and got down on his knees just as the train picked up speed, bumping over some roughness in the track. The pair laughed when Oscar grabbed Jackson’s dick for stability and lost his grip due to the excessive amount of precum that was dribbling all over the long shaft. “Dude!”

“You’re just too damn sexy and horny, I guess.” Jackson shrugged and was about to continue when Oscar took his cock into his mouth, sucking him deep on the first go. “FUCK!”

“Mmh! Mhh! Mmph!” 

“Aw, dude…yeah!” Jackson moaned and carded his hand through Oscar’s hair as the guy set to sucking him off with a determined motion. It didn’t take long for Jackson to start thrusting in and out of Oscar’s hot, wet mouth, groaning in time to way the guy managed to go almost fully down on him, choking sounds somehow making it hotter. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

Oscar seemed to take this as an endorsement and continued to lick and slurp on Jackson’s cock. He reached a hand between Jackson’s legs and ran his fingers up the smooth valley between his balls and his cock, one finger slipping deeper and tapping on the outside of his hole. “Mmh!”

“Oh, fuck, dude!” Jackson cried out, clenching around the intruding fingertip and looking down at Oscar’s upturned face with a slack jaw. He was panting hard as the guy rubbed his cock head against the inside of his soft, warm cheek. “I’m gonna cum!”

“Yeah!” Oscar pulled off him with a wet pop, trails of salvia dripping down his chin as he replaced his mouth with his hand. He jerked Jackson off, aroused eyes roving up and down his body, pointing the tip of Jackson’s cock at his chest. “Cum on me, dude!”

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Yeah!” Jackson cried out loudly, not caring if someone heard them as he exploded all over Oscar’s pecs and abs, long jets of cum shooting out of his dick. He kept thrusting his cock through the cum-slick hand and rolled his head back to rest on the metal door as his heartbeat began to slow down and sweat dribbled down his body. “Dude, if that was your audition, I’d totally hire you!”

“Haha, yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.” Jackson swallowed and bit his lip when he looked down at the cum-covered body of the other guy, his flushed cheeks making Jackson’s stomach clench hard. “In fact, I think it’s only fair to give you your sign-in bonus now!”

“Mmm, go for it!” Oscar sat down on the closed toilet lid and undid the cords that held his shorts up. He pushed them off and grabbed the large bulge that pushed out from his briefs, a dark stain along patch of cotton covering the tip. “All yours then!”

“Fuck me!” Jackson sank onto his knees, using their discarded clothes to provide padding. He helped Oscar’s hands pull the straining fabric of his underwear off his cock and Jackson felt his mouth filling with salvia as he looked at the thick hardness of the guy’s dick. “Like, for real, literally fuck me!”

“Haha, sorry, dude, but I don’t have any lube,” Oscar grinned at him and then groaned when Jackson started playing with his dick. “Awwwm yeah! Mmh, there’s a condom in my wallet, but your hole felt pretty tight.”

“Yeah, been a while for sure.” _Like, never? Fingering is about as far as you got with Brian!_ Jackson ignored the voice in his mind and instead bent down to run his tongue across the tip of Oscar’s cock. “Mmh!”

“Ahh, yeah!” Oscar’s hands were on his head and hair, guiding him just like Jackson had done to him, and he soon had his cock pushed between Jackson’s lips. “Oh, fuck, dude!”

“Mmmh!” Jackson moaned eagerly around the thick pillar of flesh in his mouth and crept his hands up and over Oscar’s smooth, tanned stomach and abs. One hand diverted to run along the guy’s muscular arms and Jackson started when Oscar intertwined their fingers, the contact feeling strangely right despite the fact that he had met the guy less than an hour ago. But Jackson didn’t let himself get stuck in his thoughts, redoubling his efforts to suck Oscar off and provide as much pleasure as he had gotten first. “Mmph!”

“Fuck…aw, yeah, Jackson!” Oscar groaned, thrusting his hips up and down, pushing more of his thick cock into Jackson’s mouth as their pace increased faster and faster. Sweat poured off them both and their interwoven scents was more than enough to make Jackson hard again, his cock grinding against Oscar’s leg. “Mmh, dude, I’m close!”

“Cool.” Jackson murmured, pulling off him and wrapping his hands one above the other to jerk Oscar off. He stood up when the guy motioned for him to, a grunt of surprise escaping his lips as Oscar reached for his hips and their cocks collided, resulting in a chorus of moans from both of them. “Oh, fuck!”

“That’s it, dude!” Oscar groaned as they moved against each other, relying on friction for pleasure as their bodies came closer and Jackson’s hands gripped Oscar’s shoulders to keep his balance. “You have a great ass!” The guy grinned at him as his hands cupped a cheek in each palm and gently pushed them apart, spurring Jackson to grind faster against him. “Aw, yeah!”

“Still think it would be better with your cock in it!” Jackson groaned, head bowed as he started to cum again, joined a second later by Oscar, the guy shooting cum for nearly half a minute, coating their sweaty skin in his load. “Fuck, dude! That was really intense!”

“Yeah, think I’ll ace that audition for sure, huh?” Oscar grinned at him as Jackson climbed unsteadily off him and looked in the mirror, grabbing a handle as the train lurched from side to side. “There’s a bunch of wet wipes in that dispenser.”

“Thanks.” Jackson nodded and set to cleaning himself off as Oscar sighed contentedly behind him. He closed his eyes to savour the intense scent of their sweat and sex, the heady smell making him stagger slightly into Oscar when the guy stood up. “Oh! Sorry.”

“It’s cool.” Oscar held him around the waist and pressed his still half-hard cock against Jackson’s ass. “You said you were going to Paris, right?”

“Yeah, that’s my first stop.” Jackson didn’t pull away from him, but instead leaned further back against Oscar’s hard chest. _I barely met this guy, but I feel like I’ve known him all my life._

“Hmm, I was going to bail at Calais, I mean, there’s a transfer to Paris, but I was thinking of doing Normandy first, you know?” Oscar looked at him in the mirror and tilted his head to kiss Jackson’s neck at the junction of his jaw. “But plans can change.”

“Mmmh, I think I’d like that.” 

“Yeah, I mean, if you still want _this,_ ” He pushed his cock against Jackson’s ass again. “In that tight, firm butt of yours?”

“I’m trying not to have any regrets on this trip.” Jackson smirked and stretched, rolling his head back to be able to look Oscar in the eye. “And I would regret missing that!”

“Cool, I-”

“Excuse me! Are you alright in there?” A female voice came from outside the toilet door and they both froze. 

“Uh, yeah!” Oscar called out while grinning at a smirking Jackson. “My friend just, uh, needed a hand with his, um…”

“Oh, it’s a medical issue, is it?” The polite English voice moved away from the door. “I’m so sorry to disturb you.”

“You’re a bad influence.” Jackson whispered as Oscar grabbed a wet wipe to clean the cum off his chest. _But, fuck, this vacation is off to an awesome start!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ethan's POV chapter will be updated tomorrow.
> 
> Just an FYI on how the story will progress:
> 
> This is a super-slow burn story that will have both Ethan and Jackson spend the first third of it with other (canon and original) characters in two separate geographical locations, resolving those story arcs before they even encounter each other. Jackson's initial story arc will have quite a lot of sex and partying and some action later into his arc. Whereas Ethan's story arc will be less smuttier in comparison, but more focused on action and adventure. Of course, when they do meet up, those two worlds will collide and it's going to be a much more balanced story of sex and action. Thanks for reading.


	4. Sometimes Maybe Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some mild sexual content in this chapter; Ethan has a little fun of his own!

“This way,” Axel beckoned for Ethan to follow him through the trees and up the steep slope. “It’s not far, though it is hidden.”

“Thanks, for the offer, I mean.” Ethan explained when Axel raised a brow at him in confusion. “I was going to find somewhere in the village to catch some sleep tonight. But I’m guessing that wouldn’t have been a good idea?”

“No, not at all.” The Löwenmensch replied simply. “I wouldn’t normally let outsiders into the valley in the first place, but you’re, uh, different.”

“How would you keep them away?” Ethan chose the less obvious question as he saw Axel’s eyes flick over his chest.

“We have our methods,” Axel said mysteriously and pointed towards the rock face in a deliberate attempt to distract Ethan. “Over there, that’s where we’re going.”

“Ok.” _Hmm, he doesn’t want to tell me that, huh? Better keep my guard up. Just because he thinks I’m hot doesn’t mean I can trust him!_ Ethan grunted as he followed the Löwenmensch further up the slope, the incline getting steeper as the trees fell away. They didn’t talk anymore, each concentrating on keeping their balance and climbing up the now-rocky surface. 

Ethan glanced up from the ground to cast an eye over Axel again, the teenager’s scent loosening in contrast to its earlier suppression. He breathed in and felt his stomach swoop. “Fuck…”

“What is it?”

“Uh, nothing.” Ethan flushed and stopped moving. He took out his towel and wiped the sweat from his face and chest, using the pause to turn around and look down at the village and lake spread out below them. “That’s some view!”

“I know.” Axel gestured for him to follow again. “We’re nearly there.”

“Cool, are you sure your parents won’t mind me staying?”

“Parents?” Axel frowned, the expression vanishing from his cute face a moment later. “Oh, uh, right, um, my parents aren’t there. They are with…the others.”

“Right, you mentioned them before.” Ethan caught up with him and touched Axel’s arm. “Who are the others?”

“It’s not safe to discuss them out in the open.” Axel murmured and stopped in front of what appeared to be patch of dark stone. He waved at it and pointed at Ethan. “It’s ok, he’s a friend.”

“What are you-shit!” Ethan jumped back when the darkened rock shuddered upwards, revealing a hidden door. “That’s super-cool!”

“Our latest modification.” Axel smiled at his excitement. “More protection became necessary when all the adults…left. C’mon, I need to let everyone know that you’re not a threat.”

“Um, ok?” The werewolf ducked his head and followed Axel inside. “I’m not, by the way.”

“I know, I wouldn’t have let you come this far if I thought you wanted to harm us.” The Löwenmensch replied confidently. “We haven’t had too many dealings with werewolves since the Von Aspens left the other side of the valley back in the fifties. Err, but that was before my time, of course.”

“Uh, ok.” Ethan frowned at Axel’s back as they walked along a cool, dark passageway of carved rock, the polished stone underfoot glinting with hints of light from ahead of them. _That was a bit weird. But, he’s like, what, sixteen, seventeen? Hmm…_ He blinked his eyes when they emerged into an antechamber, bright lights filling the space. Ethan craned his neck back to look upwards at the long, circular shaft that stretched high above them. “What is this place?”

“Long ago, the first of our pride came here and began to dig out the tunnels. It was said to be for mining the silver that runs through these rocks; that’s why there’s the village below us.” Axel explained as he pointed to one of many tunnels that led off the antechamber. “This way will take us to the common room; everyone will be gathering there for the evening meal soon.”

“Ok.” Ethan walked closely behind him, reaching out his hands to touch the smooth walls of carved rock. These passageways were better lit with lamps strewn every dozen or so meters, though Ethan suspected that anyone without enhanced eyesight wouldn’t be able to find their way around if every passage was the same as this one. “So, did the mine go dry or something?”

“Spent, yes.” The Löwenmensch took a sudden left and the ground sloped further downwards. “The silver was mined out and the village began to wither as more and more people left until eventually it was us in the mountain, the Von Aspen werewolves across the valley, and of course, the Steiner werewolves stuck in the middle.”

“Oh! I didn’t know my family had werewolf roots _that_ far back!”

“Hmm, you’re a Steiner, right?”

“Uh, yes?” Ethan answered uncertainly as Axel’s voice became cold. “Is that a problem?”

“No, we were sad to see them leave.” Axel paused again, and he smiled disarmingly at Ethan when he stopped next to another cleverly hidden door. “Ahem, I mean, my ancestors would have been sad to see them go. Sorry, my English sometimes, sometimes I get the tenses mixed up.”

“Err, sure.” Ethan didn’t argue with him as he felt a shiver go down his spine. _No way, werewolves can live to like a hundred and fifty, but they’re withered away at that point. This guy is way too hot! Uh, too young-looking to be that old…but maybe Löwenmensch are different?_ “Is this it?”

“Yes, the common room.” Axel tapped on a segment of the wall and the door slid back, heat and conversation rushing out to meet them. He walked inside ahead of Ethan and rose his voice. “Attention everyone! We have a visitor, make him feel welcome, please! Ethan? Will you come in?”

 

Ethan stepped forward, not sure what to expect. For a moment, he wished that he had stopped to pull on his shirt, but the intense heat that came from a large fireplace set into the wall washed over him and any lingering chill from the cold passageways was banished immediately. He offered the gathered Löwenmensch a wave as they got up from the long wooden table that stretched the length of the common room, his eyes darting over to the massive and ornate coat of arms that hung above the mantle of the fireplace. _Woah!_

While each of the Löwenmensch looked different, Ethan was able to see somewhat of a resemblance between the group of teenagers nearest him and Axel. _Could be his brothers and sister, I guess?_ The werewolf glanced at the two other groups, frowning when he saw that they too were made up of two or three older teenagers of seventeen or eighteen, several younger teenagers, and then three or four children. “Hey guys, how are you?” There wasn’t a response and Ethan swallowed nervously. “My German isn’t so good…”

“It’s fine, they’re just being _awkward._ ” Axel glared at the three groups. “Ethan is ok, he’s-”

“A werewolf.” The girl nearest him piped up, her eyes wide. “Are you sure he’s not going to eat us, Axel?!”

“I’m not here to hurt anyone.” Ethan tried to assure her. “I was just down at the village, um, looking for my ancestors. I took a dip in the lake and…” He trailed off when he noticed the sharp look one of the older teenagers gave Axel. “Uh, Axel said I could stay the night here?”

“Of course.” Another teenager nodded and smiled warmly at him. “I’m Kurt, Axel’s brother. Sorry, uh, Ethan, we just haven’t encountered a werewolf for a long time. The last one that came through here wasn’t exactly the nicest around.”

“He got what was coming to him though.” The boy to Kurt’s left sniggered. “We warned him about swimming in the lake but-”

“Ethan doesn’t need to hear about that, Wolfgang.” Axel cut across him firmly. “Go help Hilda and Günter with the dinner, go on!” The boy sulked and walked away muttering darkly. “Uh, sorry about all that.”

“It’s fine, I know what families can be like, especially if they’re also pack, huh?” Ethan replied politely, walking with Axel and Kurt over to the fireplace. The other Löwenmensch drifted away from them, some resuming their seats at the long table, others wandering over to where the food was being cooked on the large oven and hot plate set into the opposite wall.

The stone was dressed more ornately here than in the passageways and Ethan looked around at the stained oak furniture, heavy chairs and tables scattered in one corner next to a low book shelf, while another corner was taken up with a suit of brightly polished armor that looked as though it came straight out of a Medieval castle. _This place is amazing! And all hidden inside an old silver mine too, wow!_

Ethan took a moment to study Kurt as he and Axel spoke quietly and quickly in German. The guy was maybe a year younger than Axel, shorter too, though he seemed to be heavier built, judging from the way his biceps and pectoral muscles bulged against the fabric of his t-shirt. Kurt had the same cute features as his brother, with eyes of a startling blue, his skin the same golden tan. Ethan flicked his gaze back to Axel when the Löwenmensch nodded at him. “Huh?”

“Kurt was just telling me that your visit to the cemetery has stirred up some interest from the, um, the others.” Axel grimaced and looked over at a huge ornamental cuckoo clock that hung behind the top chair of the table. “It’s still light outside and will be for another few hours, they don’t like being in the sun.”

“Apparently, they’ll make an exception.” Kurt muttered, meeting Ethan’s eyes. “They’re-”

“Not in front of ze _kinder!_ ” Axel snapped, his German accent suddenly more pronounced as he glared at his brother. He sighed, his tone becoming more neutral again. “Sorry, Ethan, I know you have questions, but you’ll be leaving in the morning so there’s no need to worry you about it.”

“Um, if you’re sure?”

“Yes, this is the safest place in the valley to be.” Axel replied and gestured with his head for Ethan to follow him. “Come with me, there’s something I need to show you. Kurt, will you make sure the table is set when we get back?”

“Of course, _König!_ ”

“Uh, what did he just call you?” Ethan asked as he followed Axel across the room towards a different door than the one they had entered by.

“Nothing.” Axel muttered. “It’s a term that doesn’t belong to me, even if they all think I should be the leader.”

“Oh, so like an Alpha?”

“I suppose.” The Löwenmensch led him through a short passage and into a smaller room. “We don’t really have packs, we have prides, and the leader of a pride is the king, so… _König._ ”

“Your majesty!” Ethan mocked-bowed as Axel suddenly smiled at him. He straightened up when the teenager walked over to a bank of switches on one of the walls. “Where are we anyway?”

“This is the observation post.” Axel flipped several of the switches and the wall in front of them suddenly went from opaque to clear in an instant. It was a curved, concave bubble that extended outwards into the open air and looked across the entire valley from the eastern entrance in the forest to the far reaches of the alpine lake to the west. “This is how we keep an eye on what’s happening.”

“Wow…” Ethan whispered and stepped forward. “This is seriously impressive!”

“Thanks, it’s been upgraded in the last few months ever since the others stopped just being night-time scavengers and started coming out during the day.”

“Axel,” Ethan turned to him, frowning. “What exactly are these ‘others’?”

“Um, you’re leaving tomorrow, you don’t…” The Löwenmensch trailed off when Ethan arched a brow. “Fine, but only the older ones among us know the truth; the _kinder_ , uh, children, just think the others are a scary story. The others are, well, they used to be the adult members of the pride.”

“Including your parents?”

“Yeah.” Axel walked past him to place a hand on the thick glass of the observation bubble. “It all started about five years ago, something just…broke in the _König’s_ mind, I suppose, and he left us, going to live in the Von Aspen’s _Herrenhaus,_ uh, manor house.”

“Then what happened?” Ethan asked the question carefully, standing next to Axel as the teenager’s gaze became far away.

“They all started to leave, one by one, no explanation, no warning, just one day they’d be gone. Well, not _gone_ exactly.” Axel’s expression became hard and Ethan followed his eyes into the forest surrounding the abandoned village. “I’d hear them at night, we all would, howling and roaring and… Löwenmensch are powerful, we’ve always been stronger and faster and more durable than werewolves or even werebears, but our history is full of Löwenmensch who go mad.”

 _What the hell is a werebear?!_ Ethan’s eyes widened at the image that came to mind. He blinked and extended a hesitant hand to pat Axel on the shoulder. “At least you’re still sane!”

“For now, yes.” He sighed and turned to Ethan, “Thank you for listening and not judging us.”

“Sure, I know what that feels like.” Ethan replied softly, suddenly aware of how close they were standing, the tension that solidified in the air between them. His cock was already rock hard in his shorts and even though Axel must have been suppressing his scent again, Ethan could see the bulge that pushed out from the Löwenmensch’s own shorts. He wetted his lips, feeling his breath hitch as Axel tilted his head slightly, almost as though he was going to lean in for a kiss. _He's so hot! Just kiss him already!_

“Um, dinner is probably on the table.” Axel stepped back, and the moment passed. "We should go."

“Right.” Ethan murmured. He reached for his shirt, fingers tapping against the urn in his routine habit of ensuring Aiden was still with him. “I guess I should put this on? The common room looks like something out of _Game of Thrones_ and I don’t want to look like a peasant!”

“Oh?”

“Ah, it’s a TV show,” Ethan shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, you probably don’t-”

“I know what it is,” Axel laughed at him as they returned to the common room. “We might live in an old silver mine, but we have good internet and are plugged into the world. And, uh, Ethan?”

“Yeah?”

“You can stay shirtless; it’s, um, pretty hot in the common room with the fire.”

“Sure.” Ethan grinned at Axel’s sudden flushed cheeks and put his shirt back into his bag. _It’s hot right here!_

 

“I hope you enjoyed dinner,” Kurt said as he led Ethan away from the common room and parallel to the passageway that led out to the observation room. “Axel told me to show you to a guest room, well, it used to be his, but the _König_ should always have the biggest bedroom!”

“Where is he?”

“Securing the front entrance with Hans.” The Löwenmensch explained, slowing down to let Ethan walk alongside him in the much wider tunnel. “I know he said that you would be leaving tomorrow but…no, it’s not my place to say.”

“What?” Ethan smiled encouragingly at him. 

“Uh, it is just that…no, no, he would not be happy if I said anything.” Kurt replied firmly and stopped outside a dark oak door. “Here it is. There is a toilet and shower in the adjoining room, plenty of hot water and towels. Um, good night, Ethan.”

“But-ugh!” Ethan grunted as Kurt turned about and walked rapidly away. “Hmm, ok.” He opened the door into a spacious, if dark, bedroom, the bare rock walls of the room becoming less oppressive once Ethan found the light switch and snapped it on. A warm glow filtered upwards from lights hidden along the edges of the room and the werewolf dumped his bag onto the bed. The room was decorated in surprisingly bright colors that still managed to compliment the dressed stone and dark wooden furniture. “Very nice, wait a minute, what’s that?”

He crossed the polished stone floor and stopped in front of a large carved relief that dominated the back wall. Ethan felt his lips part as he stared at the dozens of dancing wolves and other animals, his eyes moving from the edges of the relief towards the center; animals turning into hunched people and then men and women standing upright, until at the center was a tall, handsome man with a lion’s mane draped around his neck. “Woah, that’s awesome. Aiden would have loved this: a whole pack of badass werelions living in a mountain hideout!”

Ethan pulled his eyes away from the carving and undid his shoes, taking them off along with his socks. His shorts were removed next and he placed them on top of the bed, his underwear following a moment later. Fully naked, Ethan stretched his arms over his head and then ran a hand down his tanned chest to gently grasp the shaft of his half hard cock. He hadn’t jerked off in almost a week, but instead of the usual tension relief that he used it for, this time Ethan actually felt horny. 

“Hmm, shower first.” The werewolf muttered and opened the door next to the wardrobe. “Woah!” He grinned at the compact, but well-equipped bathroom; sink and toilet on one side, the strange low bath-like bowl that he knew was the bidet was placed next to them, while the rest of the space was given over to a large, deep bath that was sunk into the floor, steps leading down into it. A shower hung over the right-hand side of the bath, but Ethan chewed his lower lip, eying the taps. “Damn, it would be really nice to just soak for a bit…”

He shrugged and then grinned, stepping into the bath to plug the drain and turn on the hot tap. True to Kurt’s word, there seemed to be an endless supply of hot water, and Ethan filled the bath up to the step below the surface, adding in a generous squeeze from a bottle of soap he found in the cupboard under the sink. “Oh man!” Ethan moaned as he stepped gradually into the hot water, his nipples hardening as pleasure arced its way from his cock to his chest to his brain. “Awww!” 

Ethan sat down and lay back fully, able to stretch out and float as steam rose from the water. He let his knees bend slightly and pushed his hips upwards, so his half-hard cock broke the surface and Ethan grinned lazily at his body, now slick from the soap. His nipples were still hard, and he reached down with one hand to pinch and rub the sensitive nubs as his other hand grasped his cock and jerked himself into full arousal. “Mmmh, yeah.”

He lay back again, feet finding the end of the bath to balance himself. Ethan continued to jerk off, his eyes closed as he focused on letting the pleasure of his body wash over him as the heat made his pulse race higher. The werewolf paused mid-stroke when he thought he heard Axel’s voice outside his room, but the sounds faded, and Ethan resumed playing with himself. “Huh, he’s already seen me naked today! So, it wouldn’t be too bad if he had come in just then. Although…I might have to insist that he strip down too, just to level the playing field!”

“Mmh, yeah, that’d be hot!” Ethan whispered to himself, the hand around his cock speeding up as the other hand massaged his flexing arm, fingers stretching out across the slick skin of his bicep. “Maybe I’d ask him to join me, see what he has in his shorts! He was pretty tan and smooth looking from his arms and legs, maybe he has a tight little…ah!” Ethan gasped as his hole suddenly clenched along with his abs and his cock spewed jets of cum into his face and chest. “Fuck! Fuck, yeah!”

He grunted and let his body sink into the water, thoughts of arousal fading away and being replaced with embarrassment. “Sorry, Axel…that was, you are really hot though.” Ethan muttered, washing the cum away with his hand and relaxing into the warm afterglow of his release. 

 

The morning sun was filling the observation room with golden rays when Ethan poked his head in the door, searching for Axel. He grinned when he saw the Löwenmensch leaning against the wall, looking out at the landscape below the mountain, this time wearing a different pair of shorts and a more revealing light vest. “Hey there!”

“Ethan, good morning.” Axel smiled at him and gestured for the werewolf to join him. “Did you sleep well?”

“Better than I have in months!” Ethan stood next to him, adjusting his bag so he could brush against Axel’s arm casually. “That bathtub of yours is awesome too!”

“It’s good to have some creature comforts,” Axel acknowledged the compliments with another smile, folding his arms across his chest. “Hans and Kristian will make breakfast in about half an hour, you’re welcome to stay for that and then I’ll guide you back out of the valley to the relative safety of the human lands.”

“Thank you, my king.” Ethan smirked flirtatiously at him when Axel scowled, his scent noticeable so Ethan wouldn’t think he was actually angry. “Oh! Did I offend? Haha.”

Axel laughed and shook his head, “No, of course not, it’s a stupid title left over from the days we actually were kings of the Holy Roman Empire. I was never a king though, only a minor lord-ugh…” The Löwenmensch suddenly stopped speaking, cheeks flushed as he looked guiltily at Ethan. “Let’s go see if we can give you some supplies for the journey, huh?”

“I, yeah, ok.” Ethan frowned at Axel’s retreating back. _Woah, he’s definitely not a teenager! He looks like one, but there is something else going on here._ “Uh, hey, Axel?”

“Yes?”

“How would you, err, how would you feel about me staying for a while longer?” Ethan caught up to him and smiled. “I’d like to know more about my family history and since there’s no one left but me, I think you’d know more about the ancestral Steiners. Plus, I can help you with the others; I had a lot of experience with supernatural mysteries, and I’m a good fighter, if needs be.”

“Hmm.” Axel listened to him and nodded at the end. “Very well, Ethan, you are free to come and go as you please, as long as you don’t endanger any of my family.”

“You have my word.”

“Great.” The Löwenmensch smiled genuinely at him. “We can check out the library after breakfast, I think we still have some of the old charters there from when the village was occupied…”

Ethan grinned and let Axel talk, running his eyes over the handsome youth and thinking back to his fantasy the night before. _Well, Aiden, this could be just the thing I need to get back to living!_ “Hmm? Oh, yes, I’m coming.”


	5. Monday in Paris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains mild sexual content and drinking. In France and much of Europe, the drinking age is 18 not 21. Jackson is aged up a little in this so he’s either just 18 or a few weeks before it, I haven’t decided yet.

Jackson lifted the cup to his mouth and slurped down the rich thickness of the hot chocolate. The weather might have been warm enough to easily rest in the shade in shorts and a t-shirt, but to Jackson there was something familiar, almost comforting about the drink. The previous three times he had accompanied his father to Paris on business trips, Jackson had always started his days with hot chocolate and a croissant in one of the many little cafes that were scattered on the streets off the Champs-Élysées. This one was particularly well-situated, with grand views of the Arc de Triomphe’s upper third over the rooftops. He smiled as a sense of peace and relaxation settled through him, following the hot liquid down into his core.

“Lost in your own world?” Oscar asked, sitting across from him with a grin.

“Something like that. You find the restroom?”

“Err, yeah, down the hallway and to the right; a bit cramped though.” Oscar stirred his coffee and gave Jackson a knowing grin. “It’s not really up to our standards!”

“Uh huh.” The werewolf returned the smirk and shrugged. “I guess that’s ok, we’ll finish up here and then go to the hotel. I might be interrailing around Europe, but I’m not slumming it.” 

“Hmm.” Oscar paused and frowned at him. “I’m almost afraid to ask where you’re staying now, did I somehow bump into a trust-fund kid on the train?”

“Not exactly.” Jackson muttered into his hot chocolate. _But money fixes everything, right, father? That’s why you keep my account flush no matter what frivolous crap I spent it on. Better to take advantage of that, I guess._

“Jackson?”

“Sorry, um, no, I’m staying at the Regence, it’s about ten minutes’ walk that way.” He pointed across the street away from the Champs-Élysées. “Comfortable and the breakfast is free, but it’s not five stars or anything. Um, double bed though.” Jackson flushed as he finished speaking, tension gripping his stomach. He and Oscar had talked the whole trip from England to Paris, after getting back from their fun in the restroom. Their discussion had touched on everything from coming out stories to what Oscar was studying in college to why Jackson was travelling. It had felt like no other conversation that Jackson had ever had; everything was easy and smooth and painless with Oscar, but that had been on a train, going somewhere, he worried that things wouldn’t be the same after they reached their destination. Jackson thought that it might have just been a quick hookup and he’d never see the guy again once they reached Calais for the transfer despite what Oscar had said afterward their adventure in the train’s restroom. But no, Oscar had stayed with him and here they were in Paris together. “If you want…”

“Beats the hell out of sleeping on my friend’s couch in Pontoise; that’s pretty far outside the city center.” Oscar smiled warmly. “We can split the bill.”

“It’s fine-” 

“I insist.” He bit his lower lip and Jackson’s eyes locked onto the movement. “I’m pretty sure I can give you a different form of compensation if you don’t want money!”

“Oh, um.” Jackson flushed deeper which seemed to make Oscar more eager. He could feel the guy’s bare leg brushing against his own and his cock hardened at once, remembering the sensation of Oscar’s cock against his ass on the train the day before. _I can’t let him go without feeling that inside me!_ “Yeah, I mean, no, I enjoy your company so it’s, um, gee, is that the time?!”

“Hehe, just after eleven.” Oscar smirked. Instead of commenting further, the college guy just finished his coffee and stood up. “Ready when you are, Jackson.”

 

Jackson stood next to the counter in the stylish lobby of the hotel, waiting for his details to be processed. Oscar was on the other side of the foyer, flicking through the stacks of tourist guides and attraction brochures, allowing Jackson to study him without being noticed. He pressed his lips together, eyes lingering on the tight fit of Oscar’s shirt, a few buttons open at the front, and then the bulge of his biceps from folded arms drew his hungry gaze. Jackson pulled his eyes away quickly when Oscar tensed up and looked around. _Stupid! What are you, a schoolgirl with a crush?! So what if he’s sticking around for now, it doesn’t mean anything. He’s hotter than anyone I’ve-_

“Monsieur Whittemore?” The hotel clerk called out his name and Jackson turned towards him. “We’re all set here; you are in room number two-hundred and forty-one, five floors up. Do you require help with your luggage?”

“No, we have it, thanks.”

_"Très bien,_ please enjoy your stay at the Regence."

“Thanks.” Jackson replied again and picked up the card key. He waved it in Oscar’s direction and the other guy nodded, walking over with a brochure in hand. “You ready?”

“Yeah, just checking what’s on.” Oscar took one of Jackson’s bags and followed him to the elevator. “Do you like art?”

“Mmm, depends.”

“Well, how about Renaissance classical art depicting the height of male beauty?” Oscar grinned toothily at him as Jackson arched a brow. “And since it’s that time period, it means they’ll all be crazy handsome and totally naked!”

“You sure do know how to make a winning argument!” Jackson returned his smile and pressed the button inside the empty elevator. “I’d like that, it’s in the Louvre, right?”

“Yup.”

“Cool, I’ve seen the Mona Lisa before, didn’t think it was all that great.”

“Haha, a few more naked hunks would’ve livened it up, huh?” Oscar crowded into his space suddenly and Jackson closed his eyes as the intoxicating smell of the guy’s scent filled the air. Just like before, he breathed deeply and wetted his lips as Oscar continued in a lust-laden voice. “So, that’s the afternoon taken care of, and we can grab dinner somewhere, but, um, _what_ are we gonna do between now and then?”

“I can think of something.” Jackson murmured, his cock bulging in his shorts. He moaned softly when Oscar’s hand touched his t-shirt and slid down to feel the pressing outline. “It’s hot outside, shouldn’t spend midday in the sun…”

“Yeah.” Oscar pulled him back against his body with his other hand, his lips brushing against Jackson’s neck, a quick touch of his tongue along Jackson’s jawline had him moaning louder. “That sounds good.”

“Mmh, we should-” The rumble of opening doors brought Jackson back to where they were. He opened his eyes and stepped away from Oscar’s embrace in time to see a family waiting on the other side, stressed-looking parents and five hyper kids were enough of a distraction for him and Oscar to get out without being caught. He walked quickly down the hallway and stopped outside the door to their room. “Here we are.”

“Cool.”

The door opened, and Jackson let Oscar in first, his heart beginning to beat faster again when the guy had to press close to him in order to slip past. His cock immediately sprang back to full arousal and Jackson shut the door with one hand, using the other to reach out and touch Oscar’s stomach. “Wait.”

“We’re barely inside, dude.”

“I know, and I know this is crazy, um, I mean-”

“I understand, I feel it too.” Oscar pressed him against the wall and crushed his mouth on Jackson’s, the strength of his kiss taking the breath from the werewolf’s lungs.

“Mmh.” Jackson slipped his hands under Oscar’s shirt to glance against heated flesh and he tugged the fabric outwards, succeeding in communicating his desires when Oscar stepped into the room itself and stripped off his shirt. “Much better!”

“Yeah?”

“Your cock is awesome, but like, you really should just be shirtless all the time!” Jackson flushed as he spoke, his usual confidence replaced by a giddy nervousness that both caught him off-guard and was strangely exciting.

“Haha, once we get out of the cities, I can see that maybe becoming a thing.” Oscar grinned back at him and gestured for Jackson to undress too. “But I won’t being going shirtless alone, I’ve been thinking about your abs all day, dude, and what I’m gonna do to them with my tongue. Plus your pecs and those awesome nipples…mmh!”

“Yeah?” Jackson swallowed hard, walking backwards towards the bed, kicking off his shoes. He hadn’t even had time to check out the room, his enhanced senses making Oscar’s desire all-encompassing, turning everything beyond the other guy into foggy shapes. He sat down suddenly and looked up at Oscar in front of him, now stripped down to his trunks, the massive bulge of his dick just out of reach. “Uh, are we gonna go all the way now or…?”

“I’d like to give that as much time as possible, if you’re ok with waiting?”

“Yeah, sure.” Jackson nodded eagerly. “I haven’t…I mean, it’s been-”

“It’s ok, I understand.” Oscar smiled at him. “Now lie back.”

“Umm,” Jackson stopped moving and frowned at him. “What’s with the orders?”

“More of a suggestion.”

“I don’t like being told what to do.” The werewolf smirked suddenly and grabbed Oscar’s bulge gently, pulling him down onto the bed. “Hah!”

“Oof! You little-” Oscar’s reply was cut short when Jackson’s lips pressed against his own, his hand immediately going to Jackson’s neck, fingers splayed across his jaw and cheek. “Mmh.”

“Ah!” Jackson kept his eyes closed, feeling fire course through his chest and stomach down towards his cock. He let Oscar take control of the kiss and used his hands to push down his shorts and underwear, freeing his cock as Oscar rolled onto his back and pulled Jackson on top of him. His eyes flicked open when they broke apart, each gasping for air, even though Oscar still managed to grin at him. “That was hot.”

“You’re eager!”

“Hard not to be, I thought you might dump my ass as soon as we hit Calais.” Jackson straddled his waist as Oscar arched a brow and ran his hands up and down Jackson’s hips. He pulled off his t-shirt, cheeks flushed when he smelt the guy’s surprise and concern. “I don’t…that sounded clingy as fuck, I just meant…”

“I already told you, I understand you, Jackson.” Oscar ran his hands over Jackson’s chest, fingers trailing across his pectoral muscles and the hardening nipples. “I don’t know how to explain it, dude, I just like you, feel like we’re connected, you know?”

“That’s a good way to put it. I actually feel comfortable around you.” Jackson bit his lower lip as Oscar continued to rub his hands over his torso, the werewolf dropping one hand to grasp his cock and jerk it slowly. He could feel Oscar’s hardness pressing against his ass, the gentle touch making his stomach clench hard. _I could totally take it right now, even without any prep or fingering, but…I can’t if I’m pretending to be human._

“Hey, Jackson?”

“Huh?”

“You were getting lost in yourself there.” Oscar raised himself off the bed using his elbows and kissed Jackson again when he leant down. “We’ve got at least tonight to go for a long session, but, uh, how about we finish fast now and actually get out and see the city?”

“Sounds good.” Jackson smirked and moved off him. “I bet there are gonna be a lot of hot and horny tourists at that art display, huh?”

“Man after my own heart!” Oscar grinned, getting up on his knees as Jackson mirrored him, facing away. He pulled the other guy against him, cock pressing against Jackson’s ass, arms wrapping around his torso to allow his hands to return to their exploration of Jackson’s chest. “You so perfectly lean, I can feel every muscle!”

“Mmh,” Jackson moaned as the potent scent of their mingled arousal crashed over him and the room became hazy. He leaned back into Oscar’s muscular embrace, letting himself be held and tilting his neck as Oscar started to kiss and lick at the sensitive flesh between his jawline and ear. “Fuck, yeah, that’s perfect.”

“Ahh.” Oscar mumbled, his hand finding Jackson’s cock as his own humped against the guy’s firm cheeks. “Mmh, you’re so close, huh, dude? Already slick with precum!”

“Err, yeah…” Jackson reached over his shoulder to guide Oscar’s mouth lower onto his neck and was rewarded with a long lick up his throat. Cool air tickled the wet skin as Oscar pressed against him harder in order to kiss his mouth properly. Jackson could feel the copious precum slicking up his crack from Oscar’s dick and he alternatively relaxed and tightened his ass cheeks, celebrating success when Oscar’s cock rubbed more fully against him. “Aw man, I’m gonna cum!”

“Go for it, Jackson!” He began to jerk Jackson off harder and faster, kissing his neck, his free hand massaging one of his pecs. “You’re so fucking hot, dude!”

“Ah! Ah! Ah! Aw, yeah!” Jackson groaned as he felt himself shooting, his back arched and he heard Oscar grunt and moan into him as a sudden wetness exploded against his ass. “Fuck, dude, did you just cum?!”

“Told ya you were hot!” Oscar whispered against him, head bowed as the scent of their cum filled Jackson’s nostrils. 

“Mmh, that was pretty epic.” Jackson mumbled and collapsed sideways onto the pillows, somewhat surprised when Oscar lay behind him, arms still loosely wrapped around his torso. It was a new sensation and Jackson tensed up until the other guy pulled him closer and rested his chin on Jackson’s shoulder. “Um?”

“Have you ever had a boyfriend before?”

“Um, kinda.”

“Brian, right?” Oscar asked, Jackson could hear his heart pounding as they came down from their highs. “The guy you mentioned on the train, you weren’t close, was it just fucking?”

“I think so, I wasn’t really looking for anything else.” Jackson turned over, so he could face Oscar when he spoke. “Brian was hot but, I didn’t really click with him, not like, well, not like with you.”

“Ok, cool.” Oscar grinned at him. “But, uh, just so we’re clear, Jackson, you ever feel like we’ve stopped clicking, you just say so. This can be as serious or as fun-filled as you want.”

“Fun, huh, like, um.” Jackson flushed as a thought hit him. _Well, it’s summer and when am I ever going to meet any of these people again?_ “Fun like with other guys? And with you? And maybe at the same time?”

“Haha!” Oscar laughed and kissed him hard, breaking apart as Jackson frowned. “Yeah, we must click pretty good, dude! I wanted to suggest that we keep things free and open, but yeah, you ever find yourself looking at a hot piece of ass, you should go right for it! And if I like the looks of him, I might just join you!”

“Mmh, that’ll be a lot of fun.” Jackson grinned back at Oscar even as he felt an uncomfortable pressure at the base of his spine near his butt. _Crap! That damn tail better not ruin my chances with this guy!_ “Um, do you want to use the shower first? We should probably clean the cum off before we go chasing after anyone else!”

Oscar smirked and nodded, rolling off the bed to grab a towel from the pile that had been left on the small table by the window next to the welcome basket. Jackson sighed in relief as soon as he heard the water running and he stared at the ceiling, sweat cooling on his body after their intense session. The pressure vanished, and he shook his head slowly. “Always tries to make an appearance at the worst times.”

After resting for a minute, he sat up and got off the bed. The room had looked better when he booked it online, but Jackson didn’t care too much, it was the most expensive of his hotels and the location was more important than some extra space at the foot of the bed or a big closet. He flipped through the guide that came with the welcome basket and walked over to the long, floor to ceiling window that let in the hot sun once he opened the blinds. 

They were relatively low in comparison to the other floors, but he was still able to see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Jackson grinned to himself, letting the sun warm his naked body, the table blocking anyone outside seeing his now limp cock. He heard the water shut off in the shower behind him and Jackson glanced over his shoulder, smile becoming wider as Oscar emerged, dripping wet, his skin flushed. _Damn! He’s so hot!_

 

Jackson stood next to their table, sipping his drink as Oscar went to the bar to get the next round. He hadn’t said much since they arrived at CUD, just looking around, his foot tapping in time to the music as strobes and lasers lit up the club. It was crowded with people from late teens to late eighties and he could hear smatterings of English, French, Spanish, Chinese, and a few loud Russians three tables over. Jackson’s eyes kept wandering, his cock almost too hard as a seemingly endless stream of hot guys walked past, some shirtless, others in the tightest clothes he’d ever seen. _I swear that must be spray painted on…_ His eyes locked onto a guy who was bulging in all the right places. 

Oscar had been grinning at him all night and Jackson hadn’t had to tell him that it was his first time in a gay bar. Well, there was Jungle in Beacon Hills, but that was nothing compared to this. He looked away from another hot twink twerking nearby when he caught Oscar’s scent and grinned at the guy making his way back to their table. “You took your time!”

“Haha, bar is heaving!” Oscar pushed another JD and coke towards him. “But here you are.”

“Thanks.” _I feel kinda bad about him getting me the alcohol, it won’t have any effect, but it’d look suspicious if I didn’t want to drink. I don’t want him to think I’m not a normal teenager eager to get drunk._ Jackson knocked back his nearly empty glass, feeling a momentary burn of the JD before his enhanced healing neutralized the toxin. He touched the other glass, the tips of his fingers brushing against the condensation caused by the warming ice. _I kinda wish I could tell him the truth though._

“You ok, Jackson? You’ve been quiet since we got here.” Oscar moved around the table to talk to him without having to raise his voice as much over the electric sounds of the club music. “You wanna dance?”

“Nah, you just got our drinks.” Jackson forced a smile. “I guess I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed; it’s been a while since I’ve been at a gay club and, well, you have eyes…”

“There’s a lot of man candy here!”

“Haha, yeah.” Jackson smiled genuinely and clinked his glass against Oscar’s offered one. They both took a drink and Jackson scanned the room when he felt someone staring at them. “Hey, I think that guy is looking at you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, brown hair, green shirt, tight pants,” Jackson described the guy to Oscar and tried to get a lock on his scent, but the air in the club was too polluted for him to separate it out. “He’s interested.”

“Ah, he might be interested in you!” Oscar placed his arm around Jackson’s shoulders and leaned in so he could follow Jackson’s gaze. “Hmm, he’s grinning at both of us, I think.”

“Uh huh.” The werewolf closed his eyes for a moment and savoured the weight of Oscar’s body against his own, the music pumping from the nearby speakers washing over him with a heady buzz. “Maybe I do want to dance, and you can go see who has that guy’s attention!”

“What if it _is_ both of us?” Oscar pulled away and took a long draught of his drink. “Are you up for a threesome?!”

“Gah!” Jackson choked on his own drink and spluttered coke onto a hastily offered napkin.

“Sorry! I thought that our early conversation-”

“I just didn’t expect you to say it straight out!” Jackson glared at him, cheeks flushing as he realized how immature he must have just looked. “Ugh.”

“Aw, it’s cool, dude, don’t sweat it, we don’t have to have anal, but like, he might expect it, so-”

“Can you just stop talking?!” Jackson hissed, his cheeks a darker red as Oscar smiled apologetically at him. “Uh, I mean, yeah, I do _want_ to have that sort of experience with you and other guys, but like, can I just have you first?”

“Sure, Jackson,” Oscar hugged him from behind, thrusting against him as Jackson groaned and arched back into his grip. The guy’s lips pressed against his neck and throat, whispering into his ear. “Besides, you just wait until we get into the rest of Europe; there’s so much sweater meat available there!”

“Fuck!” Jackson moaned and rolled his head back, the stranger forgotten as Oscar made out with him passionately.

 

“A round of shots!” Oscar proclaimed at the late bar they had stumbled into after CUD had started to empty out.

“Ah, no, wait-”

“C’mon, dude, you’re barely drunk!”

_Neither are you,_ Jackson thought to himself as he watched Oscar order the row of brightly colored liquids for them. _You act like it though, but your heart rate and breathing are normal, you still feel warm, and even though you’re talking a lot, you’re still focused. And…it’s weird, with the amount you’ve drunk, you should be doing more than occasionally slurring some words at me._ He frowned at the other guy, but joined in when Oscar pointed at the row. “Meet in the middle?”

“That’s the idea!” Oscar started moving down the line, knocking the shots back with ease as Jackson smirked at the vibrant shades of green, red, and yellow.

“I don’t even want to know what this is.” He groaned but joined in and after several gagging sounds and burning breaths, Jackson managed to reach the middle. “Aw, god, that was awful!”

“You’re weak, Whittemore!” Oscar slurred at him with a grin. “Now we share the last one!”

“Uh, what?” Jackson didn’t have time to think as Oscar downed the final shot and held the liquid in his mouth before pulling Jackson towards him and kissing him hard. He parted his lips naturally, eyes widening when he realized what Oscar had meant when the tangy alcohol was transferred through their locked lips. He felt some of it seeping out and dribbling down his chin, but it didn’t matter, there was something so erotic about the action that after Jackson swallowed, he made out with Oscar with a deeper intensity than before. “Pwahh!”

“Haha, awesome, right?!” Oscar grinned when they finally parted. The bartender was smirking at them, but otherwise didn’t seem to be fazed by their display. “More, or?”

“No, dude, fuck, save some money for tomorrow night!” Jackson laughed at him and shook his head. There was a strange buzzing sensation lingering around his lips and throat that almost felt like he was getting drunk. It was the same as when he used to go out and get hammered pre-Bite. But the feeling passed a moment later when Oscar collided with him, hugging him awkwardly. “Uh, ok, I think we should head back to the hotel; looks like all that booze is finally hitting you!”

“Mmh, sure thing, Jackson.” Oscar grinned dopily at him and clasped Jackson’s hand. “Let’s go!”

 

He led Oscar into the hotel room and guided him over to the bed. “Lie down, let me take your pants off.”

“Uh huh,” Oscar mumbled, struggling with his belt buckle. “Thanks.”

“Heh,” Jackson smirked and pulled the trousers down, letting Oscar push off his shoes and socks while he stripped out of his own shirt and pants. Jackson frowned as he watched the way Oscar was moving. _There it is again, you keep pausing as though realizing that a drunk person shouldn’t be that co-ordinated._

“Got ‘em!” Oscar laid back on the bed, the buttons of his shirt undone, the ridged abs of his six-pack on display. “I could almost sleep like this…”

“Uh, yeah, well, I think you’d be more comfortable if you were actually shirtless.” Jackson smirked, feeling his cock get hard again, his eyes hungrily sweeping across Oscar’s body as the other guy groaned and pulled his arms out of his shirt. “Let me get you a glass of water, there’s one in the bathroom, I think.”

“Ok.”

“Not that I think you’ll need it, you don’t seem to be that drunk.” Jackson commented carefully, glancing away when Oscar frowned and rose up on his elbows.

“Uh, we both had a lot to drink.” Oscar replied, his tone suddenly careful. “You’re feeling it too, right?”

Jackson didn’t say anything in response, and Oscar just bit his lip, alert eyes watching him. “Let me get that water.” He disappeared into the bathroom, heart beating faster than before, anxiety crawling into his stomach. Jackson grabbed the glass and filled it, looking at his reflection in the mirror. He swallowed hard, turning around, and made to return to the room, but he stopped dead when he caught sight of the other guy. “Uh…”

“Jackson?” Oscar asked, his eyes glowing a dull rusty orange-red. 

“Uh…” Jackson blinked, feeling his own eyes heat for a moment as though it was a reflex action and Oscar visibly relaxed. “What, uh, who, I don’t-”

“I’m a werebear.”

“What the hell is a werebear?!”


	6. Among the King’s Secrets

Ethan looked out over the shimmering azure surface of the lake as he skimmed stones across the mirror-like water. Axel was standing next to him, facing the other way, one hand raised to ward off the sun as he surveyed the tumbled down walls of the abandoned village. The werewolf glanced over at him, eyes lingering on the Löwenmensch’s tensed biceps and the tanned skin of his neck and face. “See anything dangerous?”

“No, it appears to be secure.” Axel lowered his hand and gestured for Ethan to follow him. “Come on, I’ll show you the house where your family, um, where our records say they lived.”

“Thanks.” Ethan smiled at him and dropped the stone he had ready to throw. _I need to find a way to let him know that he can be honest with me about his age, but I don’t know how. Aiden would probably already have him talking about all the crazy things he must have seen, but I can’t be so direct._ He huffed softly and reached down to pick up his bag, slinging it around his body as the reassuring weight of the urn pressed against his torso. “Lead the way.”

“The others don’t always come out at night, sometimes we’ve seen them during the day, but their power is less than when the sun goes away.” Axel explained as they hopped over the stone wall and entered the village proper. “Even still, they’re quite strong and dangerous, smart in their own way, even if…” He sighed and shook his head, pointing at a house across the overgrown square. “That one, if you squint, you should be able to see the Steiner coat of arms above the door.”

“Uh, yeah, it’s faded though.”

“Hmm, it used to be bright gold and white, black wolves prancing on a silver field.” A faint smile touched Axel’s lips and Ethan could smell the bitter notes of sorrow in the space between them before the Löwenmensch’s scent vanished completely. Just like before, it had the same disorientating effect and Ethan staggered against him. “Hey, easy.”

“Sorry,” Ethan mumbled, grasping Axel’s arm and steadying himself as Axel guided him over to the low, moss-covered wall that encircled the house. “It’s really disconcerting when your scent disappears like that.”

“Huh, I didn’t think you were paying that much attention to me.”

“Uh, duh!” Ethan laughed at Axel’s expression. “Can’t you tell I like you?”

“I…you’re very forward.” Axel flushed, and he knelt down so he could hold Ethan’s gaze better. He opened his mouth as though to speak, but the Löwenmensch frowned and went still, head tilted to one side. 

“What-”

“Shh!” Axel held up a finger, scowling at the ground between Ethan’s feet. A moment later, he relaxed and stood up. “Ok, it’s gone.”

“One of the others?” Ethan looked around curiously, but he didn’t see anything other than the old village and he had heard nothing at all except the rapid beating of Axel’s heart. 

“Yeah, I think so.” Axel chewed on his bottom lip and offered his hand to pull Ethan to his feet. “We probably scared it off, like I said, they don’t like the sun.”

“Huh, they sound like orcs!” Ethan flushed as Axel coolly raised a brow at him. _Gah! Could I sound nerdier?! Maybe I should just take my shirt off instead? He seemed to like my body…_ “Um, are we going inside? My ancestors’ house, remember?”

“Uh, sure, this way.” The Löwenmensch gestured towards the rotting front door. “Afterwards I need to inspect the woods along the edge of the lake, try and gather some more information on why the others have changed their behaviour lately. You can find your way back to the mines on your own, right?”

“I could come with you.” 

“I…suppose.”

“What? You don’t think I can handle myself?!” Ethan flexed for him, the sleeves of his t-shirt riding up and framing his bulging biceps as Axel smirked and looked at him.

“Oh, I think you can _handle_ yourself just fine, Ethan.” Axel purred at him, the tip of his tongue emerging to wet his top lip. “I’m just not sure you can deal with the others all that much; have you done any fighting as a werewolf?”

“Pff! Yeah!” Ethan rolled his shoulders and followed Axel into the tumbling down house. The air smelt of mold and mildew, wet timber and crumbling stone, but Ethan immediately felt a sense of peace wash over him and he looked around at the dark furnishings with interest. “Um, how long ago did they all leave?”

“I think the house was last occupied by refugees fleeing the war in the 1940s, but the last Steiner died some time before that.” Axel pointed at the large hearth and the faded star carved into the fire-hardened wall. “The world descended into madness and it was all we…my ancestors, I mean, it was all they could do to keep the tide of hatred and blood from seeping into the valley. I think that’s when the sickness really started though.”

“Oh?” Ethan asked carefully, seeing a faraway look come into Axel’s eyes. “What do you mean?”

“For centuries, we have lived here; isolated, secure, away from the bickering of the humans and hunters and werewolves alike. We, the last pride of Löwenmensch in all of Europe, maintained our numbers through careful breeding and the occasional introduction of human stock, but it couldn’t be kept up forever.” Axel walked slowly from the main room into what had been the dining hall; a long room with faded portraits on the walls and a filthy table that stretched the length. It was now overgrown and thick with thorny vines that had pushed up through the broken floorboards. “Pure Löwenmensch live for a very long time-”

“I’ve figured that out.” Ethan replied softly, running his hands across the surface of the table, spotting patches where the once-polished wood still gleamed brightly. “But you’re saying that these, um, mixed Löwenmensch don’t live as long?”

“They become older faster, yes, the lion-blood doesn’t have as great a hold on them.” Axel sighed. “It was at the end of what the humans called the Boer War that the first of these, err, hybrid children were born, he was called Garrett and grew into a strong Löwenmensch; good, powerful, had all the makings of a Lord of the pride.”

“Something happened, didn’t it?” Ethan glanced up to see Axel glaring at a small cairn that had been set up in the entrance to the living room off the dining hall. “Did someone die here? Axel?” He touched the guy’s back gently and stepped around him to look inside at the rest of the room. “Fuck…how many are there?”

“Forty soldiers were butchered here, and almost as many innocents.” Axel folded his arms, his tone cold. “They came up the valley searching for those who fled from the war, we had made ourselves known to the refugees, offering food and shelter and whatever aid we could provide. But Garrett had become close to one of them…too close I said. I was the Lord in charge of looking after the valley’s security.”

 _I have got to figure out this whole Lord and King thing. I better not say anything yet though, he’s finally being honest about how old he really is!_ Ethan thought to himself as he inspected the dozens of rock cairns scattered through the room. Though their flesh and bodies had long since withered away under the elements and ravages of time, he could smell the dry, distinctive scent of human bones all around him. Ethan glanced back at Axel, the guy still staring into the mid-distance. “Did you stop the soldiers?”

“No. I told the pride that we should not interfere with the humans any more than we had already. That if we did, more would surely come.” Axel closed his eyes and regret swamped his scent. “I thought it was the right thing to do, that the stories the refugees told us were too horrible to possibly be true, that no one could do such _awful_ things to another person. Garrett didn’t agree, of course, I should have made him come back with me, or perhaps I should have joined him, tempered his rage.

“The soldiers came up the valley in trucks and metal monsters that we had not seen before; gone were the horses and men in shining armor that I had been expecting. War had evolved and somehow become more brutal than I could have ever imagined.” Axel gestured vaguely at the farthest cairns. “We watched from secret mine entrances as they stormed the village, killing the men who resisted, dragging the women and children away. They started to line them all up against the wall, no interest in taking them back to their camps and-”

“I, I’ve read the history books, Axel.” Ethan returned to him and reached a hand out to grasp his arm. The Löwenmensch had gone pale, dread and horror rolling off his scent in damp waves. “Did Garrett save them?”

“Yes, I suppose he did.” Axel pulled himself free of Ethan’s hold and walked towards one of the glassless windows. “In a storm of claws and fangs and blood, he struck the soldiers down, seeming to grow angrier from each kill, a feast of savagery that had no end… The elders said that it was a rare thing to see the blood-rage come upon one with only half of the lion-blood but come it did and when that madness is unleashed, nothing or no one can temper it until the fires are spent.”

“So, not just the soldiers.” Ethan muttered with an awful realization. “All of the humans too?”

“Yes.” Axel admitted after a heavy pause. “I failed as a Lord that day, I failed to protect the pride, the humans we had taken in, the children raised among us. The _König_ felt that Garrett had put us in too much danger and banished him from the pride. Not that I think it mattered, he swore to follow those who had come from outside the valley and visit his terrible vengeance on them all.”

“Did you find out what happened to him?” Ethan asked, following Axel as he moved absently from the burial ground into the solarium at the rear of the house. Sunlight streamed in through the shattered glass canopies and Ethan breathed in the fresh air from the lake nearby as he enjoyed the warmth on his skin. “Did you get Garrett back? Is he one of the others now? Is he their leader, is that what happened?”

“No, he is not with us any longer.” Axel rubbed the back of his neck and joined Ethan in one of the pools of hot sunlight. “For the first time in nearly a hundred years, I left the safety of the valley and ventured into the world outside. It was…different; hatred and fear lingered in the air, men ruled through power and strength, but not the way that I was used to. I tracked Garrett to the nearest town; a bustling center of steam and industry, I feared that with such changes I would not find anyone to aid in my search, but one of our vassal werewolf packs still lived in the town.”

“What’s a vassal?” Ethan frowned at him. 

“Hmm, a type of ally, I suppose. They were to give us aid, usually in the form of soldiers to fight other Lords and human nobles, and in return they ruled over parts of our territory, owned the peasants that farmed the land, made craft goods, that sort of thing.” Axel smirked at Ethan’s offended expression. “I suppose that sounds very barbaric nowadays, but it was common at the time and it worked, well, perhaps it worked better for the ruling classes.”

“Yeah, I imagine so.”

“In any case, these werewolves were able to aid me in finding Garrett, or at least where he had gone.” Axel shook his head slowly. “To fight your enemy, you must know them, and in some cases, become them. Garrett chose this path and joined the soldiers, no doubt hoping to destroy them from within. I do not know what happened to him after that, to find him, I would have had to venture further, perhaps even join those monstrous humans. I could not do that, and my vassals told me that the world had changed too much; there was no longer a Kaiser to appeal to, nor an Imperial _König_ to make an argument for the safe return of our Löwenmensch.”

“So, you just came home?” Ethan asked as Axel nodded. “Wow, that’s a hell of a story!”

 

“I don’t know why I told you all that.” Axel turned away from him and forced open the door of the solarium into the overgrown garden outside. “It paints us, me, in such a terrible light, I would not be surprised if you wanted to leave, Ethan.”

“You made a bad call, trust me, I’ve done it enough times to know what that’s like.” Ethan followed him out and stepped around the wild raspberries and strawberry patches. “And from the sounds of things, you were way out of touch with the world outside this valley. You thought the soldiers would be different, right?”

“Warriors used to have honor and chivalry,” Axel leaped over the crumbling stone wall and waited for Ethan to join him before setting off towards the lake. “Yes, of course there was cruelty and malice and bad things happened in war. But only during the sacking of cities were the ordinary people exposed to violence and danger; we never deliberately targeted the peasants!”

 _Peasants…oh my god, he totally is a Medieval knight in shining armor! Rescue me, Axel! Ah, but don’t splouge your pants, Ethan!_ The werewolf’s mind was ablaze as his cock hardened quickly. He caught an odd look from Axel, but with the sun glinting off the lake and throwing the gleam against the Löwenmensch’s handsome face, Ethan felt his ass clench around an imaginary dick at the same time as his cock began to leak against the fabric of his trunks. _Shit, we’re meant to be having a serious conversation, not imagining his perfect mouth wrapped around my-_

“Ethan?”

“Um, yeah?”

“We should continue moving, Hans is making his renowned _Gút Schweinebraten_ for lunch!” Axel grinned at him, his German accent flaring for a moment. “We’ll finish our patrol and head back before the rest of the pride fall on it like, err, haha, like a pack of lions!”

“Um, I don’t know what that is.” Ethan frowned at him. “Uh, it sounds nice though, right?”

“It’s meat,” Axel licked his lips as though already tasting it. “The literal translation is ‘Good Roast Pork’, though only peasants use pork, Hans will use veal instead.”

“Oh, of course! We wouldn’t want to be mistaken for peasants, would we?” Ethan asked, managing to keep a straight face as Axel shook his head sternly. “Right, uh, and I’ll still be staying with you, just in case you thought that story might put me off.”

“Thank you,” Axel smiled genuinely at him. “I know our ways must seem very different to you, very, uh, feudal, I suppose.”

“Well, you are that old, right?” Ethan asked, holding his breath as Axel’s expression went from fearful to puzzled to finally rest on resigned. “You’ve dropped more than a few hints and well, you told that entire story from the perspective of an adult in a place of power. And World War Two was, like, seventy years ago, so, I mean…”

“Hmm, you are right.” Axel walked slowly along the shore with Ethan at his side. “The lion-blood that flows through all pure Löwenmensch gives us many benefits beyond mere rank and power. It also bestows unnatural long life beyond that of any supernatural creature I have ever encountered.”

“How long are we talking? Two hundred years? Longer?” Ethan arched a brow when Axel gestured for him to keep going. “Do you guys even age?!”

“Yes, of course we age.” The Löwenmensch laughed shortly. “Just very slowly. The _kinder_ you met yesterday are the last of the pure Löwenmensch, each more than a century old. But they still act like children, and teenagers like me are more complicated.”

“A hundred-year childhood?” Ethan gasped. “That actually sounds like fun! But what do you mean by complicated?”

“Hans, Eric, Günter, and Hilda were all born here in the valley.” Axel explained, bringing them around the lake shore towards the densely crowded trees on the opposite side from his mountain hideaway. “This is all they have known; the village, the mine, the Von Aspens and the Steiners leaving, the slow change of their world. Though with the internet, they have seen that the land outside our valley is both a scary and wondrous place. Kurt usually takes them on yearly excursions to one of the big cities whenever we need new technology or supplies.”

“You don’t go?”

“Sometimes, I went last year.” Axel shrugged. “We have disguises to wear, better to blend in amongst the humans; our vassal packs have been scattered and destroyed by increasing numbers of hunters.”

“Ok, so, um, you gonna tell me how old you are?” Ethan asked cheekily as Axel sighed. “I don’t care if you’re like four hundred and six, you look amazing and hot and-”

“Thirteen hundred and ninety.”

“ _What?!_ ” Ethan gaped at him. “Wait, what?”

“I was born long ago in what is now known as Stuttgart,” Axel smirked at Ethan’s expression. “When I reached the age of three hundred, I looked much like I do now, and I won’t look much older for another few centuries. The reason that there are so few Löwenmensch in the world is that there were never very many to begin with, perhaps less than a hundred in total. A pure Löwenmensch takes nearly three years to be born.”

“Yowch!” Ethan grimaced. “That doesn’t sound fun for the mother!”

“Indeed, so, naturally, few of us opt to procreate, and as a result we invest our power into each other.” Axel stopped walking near to a natural entrance to the forest. “At age four hundred, I was raised to the rank of Lord and our _König_ gave me the lands that would later form the Kingdom of Bohemia, far to the north and east of here. My influence grew and spread and after many campaigns of battle and intrigue, our pride controlled the territory of the Kingdom of Germany.”

“What about the humans?”

“Not all the kings of the time were Löwenmensch, but most of us were in positions of power, we even had a few popes!” Axel smiled and spread his arms grandly. “It was easier in those times to hide who and what we were, and Löwenmensch have always been able to better master their bodies and abilities than the other supernaturals. They made for more natural vassals.”

“Gee, make me feel loved!” Ethan grinned at Axel when he arched a brow. “I know you’re all lordly and everything, I’m just a regular old werewolf over here!”

“Oh, I think you’ve got some secrets of your own, Ethan.” He turned away and gestured at the forest. “If you’re ready to go in, we had best be silent.”

“Sure, I’ve got your back.”

 

“There.” Axel whispered, pointing up at the rock face above them. “See it?”

“Yeah…wow!” Ethan breathed, staring at the wood and glass construction that seemed to cling to the mountain, almost as though it was emerging from the stone itself. “Is that the, um, _Herrenhaus_ you mentioned last night?”

“Ah, good pronunciation!” Axel grinned approvingly at him and nodded. “Yup, that’s the Von Aspen’s manor house. They were the werewolves that lived across from us since we opened the mine, the Steiners lived in between us, partly, I think, to keep both sides apart. The Von Aspens didn’t think that we had any right to continue leveraging them as our vassals once the Empire had fallen.”

“Wait, were my family your vassals too?”

“Um…” Axel hesitated, eyes narrowing as he went still. “Something is out there.”

“Huh? I don’t hear anything.” Ethan looked around at the still trees, sunlight filtering through to warm the back of his neck and turn Axel’s blond hair into spikes of spun gold. He bit his lower lip, gaze lingering on Axel’s face as the Löwenmensch closed his eyes. “Do you-”

“Rawrr!” 

The sudden roar burst from the trees next to them and Ethan jumped backwards, tripping over a log and crashing onto the ground. He scrambled to his feet in time to see a tall, brawny man with glowing red eyes and massive, jutting fangs advance through the forest towards him. Long arms hung down by his sides, both lean and muscular, finished in thick claws, his form covered in mud and what looked like dried blood, but was otherwise naked. 

Ethan swallowed hard and stood up, flicking out his own claws as he prepared to defend himself from the monster. He glanced to one side to see Axel moving to stand between him and what he assumed was one of the mysterious others. Axel’s own eyes were glowing too, a deep yellow that seemed to confuse the other Löwenmensch. “I can help you.”

“Better that you stay back,” Axel whispered softly, “They usually hunt in pairs, try and see if you can spot the other one.” He flicked out his claws and growled menacingly at the intruder. “Grr!”

Ethan moved out of the way quickly when the two Löwenmensch charged each other, Axel ducking the wider attack arc of the other supernatural and darting under the swing to rake his claws up the man’s chest. Ethan danced backwards when the Löwenmensch smiled and followed his initial assault with a vicious kick that connected heavily with the enemy’s knee. The werewolf shuddered at the loud pop, looking at Axel in time to see his fangs being revealed. Much like the enemy Löwenmensch, Axel’s fangs were much longer and prominent than a werewolf’s, but his were straight and clean in contrast. “Fuck…”

“Yarr! Run away, Arnold!” Axel snarled and grabbed the man’s arm, snapping it with frightening ease. The other Löwenmensch yelped and staggered back, trailing blood on the ground. 

“Watch out!” Ethan cried loudly, seeing the man flick his uninjured arm out rapidly and slap into Axel’s nose. There was a dull crack and blood spewed down Axel’s face. Ethan jumped forwards and slashed at the enemy Löwenmensch, scoring a deep gash along his side. Axel recovered quickly and roared loud enough that Ethan had to fall back, or risk being deafened completely. He crammed his fingers in his ears and bent double as a strange sensation swept through his legs as though he wanted to kneel down, but it vanished when the second roar blasted from Axel’s throat.

“RAWRRR!” 

“Argh!” Arnold whimpered and yelped, turning from them and limping away as fast as he could, injured arm clutched to his chest.

 

“Fuck! That was intense!” Ethan huffed, sitting on the fallen tree trunk he had tripped over earlier. Axel was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling, hands hanging by his sides. The werewolf watched as he pulled off his t-shirt with a grimace and used it to wipe away the blood from his now-healed nose. _Damn, he’s hot! I kinda wish he’d turn around more fully though, but his back is awesome!_

“Just Arnold on his own.” Axel mused to himself, draping his bloodied t-shirt over his shoulder. He sat down next to Ethan, the werewolf quickly raising his eyes from Axel’s clenching abs to his face. “Maybe a scout? I suppose it doesn’t matter, they clearly aren’t used to hunting prey that fights back.”

“You really know how to fight though!”

“Thanks, and thanks for having my back.”

“Any time!” Ethan grinned at him and shuffled closer, a thrill of excitement rushing down his spine when their bare arms touched. He saw the pensive expression on Axel’s face and frowned. “Hey, so, is Arnold their Alpha? Or uh, _König,_ I mean, he had red eyes.”

“Oh, no, that’s not how it works for Löwenmensch.” Axel shrugged. “Untested and young Löwenmensch have yellow eyes; they’re darker than a werewolf’s, but not very special. All the _kinder_ have yellow eyes, for example. Then Lords have blood red irises with black pupils, like with Arnold, and the exceedingly rare _König_ who is born with the King’s Spark has blood red irises with blazing orange pupils. But there hasn’t been one of those since before I was born.”

“Sounds kind of familiar.” Ethan muttered.

“Hmm, and then there are the Lords who have killed other supernaturals; they have dark red irises with a black ring and just the smallest flare of silver in the center of the pupil. Kings who kill have the same dark red irises but with pupils of flaring orange.” Axel finished his explanation and stood up, gesturing for them to leave.

“That sounds very complicated.” 

“It is,” He shrugged. “Back when we were all jostling for position in the Imperial _König’s_ Court, it made a certain sense to have all those different ranks and little things that elevated you beyond someone else. Now though, anyone who holds onto those feudal traditions is…just wistful.”

“Mmh.” Ethan nodded sympathetically, smelling the melancholy on Axel’s scent. He frowned, a moment from the fight coming back to him. “Wait, you just showed me you had yellow eyes when facing off against Arnold! What gives?!”

“Ah, you noticed that?”

“Uh, yeah. And you said earlier that you were a Lord.” Ethan folded his arms and looked expectantly at Axel. “So?”

“Um,” Axel shifted around uncomfortably. “Well, in addition to hiding our scent, Löwenmensch can change our eye color for short periods of time. We use it to appear less threatening around werewolves and other supernaturals who may have the numerical advantage.”

“Can I see your true eyes?” Ethan turned to face him, suddenly very close to Axel’s face. He felt his lips part as the Löwenmensch’s eyes changed from sapphire blue to deep, dark pools of red, the same shade as the dried blood on his t-shirt. Ethan concentrated, and he could see the black ring separating the iris from the pupil, a star of brilliant silver exploding in the center. “Woah, they’re beautiful…”

“Thank you.” Axel swallowed hard and blinked, moving away. “Though as you must have noticed, I’ve killed before.”

“Yeah, I see that, but you’re not alone.” Ethan reached out and gently grasped Axel’s arm, pulling him back towards him. He let his own eyes burn with supernatural blue. “See?”

“Yeah.” Axel smiled slightly. “I see you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last update to this story until Jan 2019 as I shift my focus to other work. Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you would like to see the inspiration for the physical appearance of Oscar and Axel, you can go to (NSFW) https://thewritingspace55.blogspot.com/?zx=459fd521ffb4377e (shameless plug)!


	7. First Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains explicit sexual content without the use of protection. Please practice safe sex in reality!

“What the hell is a werebear?!” Jackson gasped and lowered the glass of water onto the table nearby.

“I think you can guess, _werewolf_ ,” Oscar smiled warmly at him and gestured for Jackson to sit down on the bed. His expression faltered for a moment as Jackson sunk onto the end of the mattress. “At least, I think you’re a werewolf; your eyes glinted for a moment, not long enough to be sure, and your scent is different than other werewolves I’ve encountered.”

“Ok, but, but,” Jackson swallowed as his knees felt like Jello, the twist of events taking him off-guard. “But you haven’t told me exactly _what_ a werebear is. I’ve never even heard of one! Are you, like, do you have a pack? Are you an Alpha? Your eyes are almost red…do you transform or-”

“Ok, ok!” Oscar waved his hands to catch Jackson’s attention. He smiled again and shrugged as the other guy blinked and looked at him. “Um, quick-fire answers ok?”

“S-sure?”

“Ok, the, um, the Reader’s Digest version is that I have the strength, stamina, and brute force of a bear with some pretty heavy claws. Watch.” Oscar held up his hand, holding it horizontal, fingers splayed out. A moment later, his claws sprung out, just like Jackson’s own, except these were larger and more like thick, curved talons, the hook at the end blunt, but it had a durability to it that caught Jackson's attention. The claws themselves were black and opaque unlike a werewolf's more translucent ones. Oscar grunted and the claws retracted, blood tinging the edges of his nail beds. “Ah, hurts to take them out.”

“Yeah, sorry, you shouldn’t have done that.” Jackson inched forward, reaching out to touch Oscar’s hand and glance his fingertips along the place where the talons came from, feeling the blood pools dry quickly into tackiness. He flushed and looked up to see Oscar watching him. “Sorry, I just…um, do you fully transform too?”

“What? Like into an actual bear?”

“Yeah.” _I used to transform once._ Jackson almost added, but bit back the admission as Oscar grimaced. “Furry ears?”

“No, nothing like that.” He shook his head, dropping his hand as Jackson leaned back. “Although I’ve heard that it’s a skill that can be learned; there’s meant to be people, uh, trainers, I guess, around the world that teach it.”

“Really?” Jackson arched a brow. “Seriously? What are you, a video game character?!”

“Hehe, yeah, I know. But there’s a guy in the Rockies back home that claimed he could turn into a black bear,” Oscar tilted his head to one side as though thinking. “And then, I heard rumors of a Chinese werebear who had managed to crack the secret of transforming into a panda.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Seriously!” Oscar grinned at his incredulous expression. “Polar bears are meant to be the rarest of all, but part of the reason I came to Europe was because I heard about this, um, thing, like an item, or something, and it allows us-werebears, I mean- it allows us to transform into a brown bear. They’re the ones that were widespread on this continent.”

“Hmm, sounds powerful.” Jackson muttered, shaking his head again. “But you can’t do it yet, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” He shrugged. “We don’t even change physically like you guys do; eyes sure, but no extra hair or ridged brow. The stronger bones and better physique does allow for a lot more muscle to be put on though.”

“That’s for sure.” Jackson whispered, dragging his eyes across Oscar’s abs and up over his wide pectoral muscles towards his shoulders, the smooth, tanned skin just crying out for his touch. _Hell, just imagine licking a long line from his shoulder blades over his pecs and hard nipples, down that set of ridged perfect abs and disappearing into his smooth-_ He blinked and looked away when he caught the edge of Oscar’s smirk. “So, do you have an Alpha and a pack? Or are you an Omega?”

“We don’t really work like that.” Oscar shook his head, leaning back into the pillows as he threw his shirt down on top of his pants and reclined, clad in just his form-fitting trunks, their turquoise shade drawing Jackson’s hungry gaze again. “So, just like real bears we’re mostly solitary supernaturals; we don’t suffer the same penalties from being alone as werewolves do. There’s no Alpha, at least not how you’d understand the term. Sometimes something big would happen and all the werebears in the region would be called to the moot; the oldest or most experienced would chair that. I’ve never been, so most of the time young werebears stay with their mother or father before setting out on their own.”

“Interesting.”

“I guess,” He sighed, rubbing a hand across his face as he scowled as though trying to remember some detail. “Um, let’s see… Oh! We don’t have a Bite to make new werebears, it’s transferred only through breeding across the different family lines.”

“What?” Jackson quirked his brow. “So, since you’re gay, does that make you an outcast?”

“Way to presume.” Oscar laughed as Jackson opened his mouth to reply. “It’s fine; you’re right though; about me being gay anyway. There’s enough of us that no one is forced into anything, but the one thing I’ll always remember is my Mom saying that it never felt natural that we’d have to be born instead of made. Like what if the families got too close or there was an illness or something, it just never made sense to her.”

“So…do you think that someone _made_ the first werebears?” Jackson asked, a shiver of nervousness going down his spine. 

“Hmm, maybe.” Oscar reached out to touch his arm reassuringly. “There are creatures called the Berserkers, but they’re different to us. They use old bear bones and claws and tap into the animal’s spirits to harness nature’s fury. I don’t like the sound of that though, makes it seem like they’re disrupting the natural order.”

“Sounds familiar.” Jackson muttered, his gaze falling on his own hands, the unwelcome flicker of half-forgotten memories rising up; blood and death and the unyielding pressure of The Voice. He blinked his eyes to clear his thoughts, looking up to find Oscar watching him. “Um, you’ve been really honest with me, I figure I should do the same for you.”

“More than just a werewolf, huh?” Oscar murmured, nodding slowly as his nostrils flared. “Your scent has that tang in it, but there’s something else, like the dangerous burn of high-proof alcohol and then a rich…heaviness. The sort of scent that makes me want to reel back but at the same time, keep on chasing it no matter where it leads, mmh.”

Jackson didn’t reply, watching Oscar’s hands as they gestured during his description of the scent. _Wow, he has a way with words! I’ve never heard anyone describe a smell like that before._ “Sounds unpleasant.”

“Not at all.” Oscar grinned at him and leaned forward, his abs bunching tight. “I really like it! It’s a smell that cuts through any distractions and just hits you in the stomach, uncurling downwards to, haha, grab _something_ else.” 

“Oh?” Jackson smirked back, smelling the other guy’s arousal even as the front of his trunks bulged outwards. “Well, I guess being half-Kanima is good for something!”

“Kanima?” Oscar settled back against the pillows, nodding slowly. “Yeah, I’ve heard of them; my Mom had a well-stocked lore library. A rare creature; vengeance and power shared over a bond. A bond that ends in blood.” 

“Yeah…” Jackson sighed and looked at Oscar’s face, letting his eyes glow blue. _We’ve avoided it until now, but if he knows the lore, then maybe he knows about this too._

“I see you, Jackson.” Oscar nodded, studying his face with careful eyes. “The sapphire blue is pretty enough, but I think you’re hotter with your natural shades!”

“Oscar, this is serious. There are people, innocent people, that I’ve hurt, that I’ve killed.”

“I know,” The werebear reached out for him again, this time with both hands, taking Jackson’s own in a loose grasp. “I know why they are that color, it's not as if you could resist killing if the Kanima's master commanded it.”

"Yeah, but-"

"There's nothing different in the way I see you, Jackson." Oscar’s eyes flared again, the same rusty orange-red as before. “There are no blue-eyed werebears, no red-eyed ones either, just this color. It’s harder for you because as soon as you reveal your true eyes, you think everyone judges you.”

“They do.” Jackson pulled away from him.

“I don’t, like I said, I know you didn’t have a choice.” Oscar replied evenly. “My point was that I never judge someone based on the first thing I see. Like on the train, sure, I saw you and instantly wanted you, but at the same time I felt like there was something else there, some deeper mystery to explore.”

“Sounds about right.” Jackson smirked and felt his cheeks burn as Oscar smiled at him, a swooping sensation rushing through his stomach in response. _God damn, he’s hot! And a supernatural too? Must be why we connected so easily, plus that explains his Adonis body._

 

“So…” Jackson broke the silence that had fallen between them, the urge to speak overwhelming as tension thrummed through every muscle and nervous energy zipped around his stomach. “We should probably get some sleep…right?”

“I guess,” Oscar looked at him slyly. “Although I’m not drunk and neither are you, so there’s no room for bad decisions to be made in the heat of the moment.”

“Takes the fun out of it, huh?!” Jackson said, standing up and slowly pulling off his shirt before unbuckling his trousers to let them slide down his legs. Oscar was watching him, pink tongue darting out to wet his lips. “Is it just me or is it getting hotter in here?”

“Maybe the AC went down.” Oscar replied huskily, his heart beating faster as Jackson sank back down on the bed near his knee. “And just because we’re not hammered doesn’t mean we can’t-”

“I’m interested.” Jackson cut across him quickly, rocking forward. Oscar smiled and Jackson felt his cock harden in his pants as he drew in a shaky breath. _Fuck me, he looks so hot!_ “Um…”

“Just relax, let it happen naturally, slowly.” Oscar whispered as he closed the space between them, sliding across the bed to pull Jackson towards him. “Don’t overthink it, and let yourself feel _everything_ …”

“Mmh.” Jackson grunted as their lips touched, his eyes closing quickly. He ran his hands across Oscar’s arms and savoured the soft, yet hard, sensation of his muscled flesh, warm to the touch. The werebear was touching him too, one hand placed on Jackson’s neck, fingers stroking the sharp bristles of recently cut hair at the base of his skull, his thumb gently caressing the edge of his jaw. “Ahh, yeah!”

The kiss grew deeper, urgent, passionate. Jackson leaned forward, their temporary tongue battle lulling as Oscar dropped slowly backwards onto the bed, bringing Jackson with him so eventually the werewolf was draped across his body. Their hard cocks, still confined in cotton, brushed against each other with a delicious buzz and Jackson grinded into the long thickness, his hands moving up to grip Oscar’s rounded shoulders. Oscar pushed him back enough to part their kiss, their bodies still rocking in firm motion against each other. The handsome college guy grinned at him, the lights of the nearby lamp playing as warm flickers in his eyes. “Good?”

“Amazing.”

“Hmm.” Oscar pursed his lips as Jackson groaned again, feeling the sudden thrust by the werebear. “It’s about to get better, I’ve been thinking about this all day!” He moved with unexpected speed, flipping Jackson over onto his back and kneeling between his legs. Oscar matched Jackson’s eager smirk and pulled down his underwear, revealing the plump, raging hardon with glee. “Oh, yeah!” Oscar grasped the shaft and jerked Jackson off a few times, grinning as the other guy moaned and his face slipped into an expression of pleasured surprise.

“Ahhh!” Jackson whimpered softly when Oscar released him and shuffled off the bed. He took over jerking himself and watched instead as the werebear stripped naked; smooth, powerful ass cheeks coming into view, the sound of a wet slap as his big dick was freed and hit against his naval. “What are you doing?”

“Getting lube.” Oscar replied, walking over to his bag. “We don’t have to use a condom, unless you want to?”

“Err, no, it’s cool, I know about the immunity.”

“Nice!” He grinned again, the megawatt smile that made Jackson’s stomach tighten and his asshole clench. Oscar dipped a hand into a pocket and withdrew it with the bottle a moment later. “You’re still going to need a lot of lube though, especially since it’s your first time and I’m…”

“Big!” Jackson agreed with a laugh, looking longingly at the hefty monster that stood straight up from Oscar’s smooth crotch. “I can manage the pain though.”

“Sure, but I want you to enjoy it,” Oscar replied, coming back. “It’s no fun for either of us if you tear something.”

“Urgh!” Jackson shivered at the thought and shook his head. “Ok, well, I don’t need or want any foreplay, so…”

“This’ll count.” Oscar said as he got on the bed again. “It’ll be easier if you’re on your hands and knees. Yeah, like that, ass towards me, and such a _fine_ ass it is!”

“Haha,” Jackson laughed in spite of himself, whatever tension had seeped into the room banished by Oscar’s playful tone. He grabbed a pillow and hugged it to his chest as he bent his torso forward and presented his butt to the other guy, cheeks tinged with pink as a mental image of what he must look like flashed through his mind. 

“Jackson?” Oscar rubbed his shoulder comfortingly and leaned down to look him in the eye. “You ok? I can smell your nervousness, it’s ok if you want to back out, I’ll understand.”

“No, no, I don’t.” He shook his head quickly and swallowed hard, pulling his pounding heart back to a regular beat. Oscar smiled and kissed his cheek before getting back on his knees behind him. “I’m ready, you can fuck me, Oscar.”

“In a few minutes, yeah, but I’m getting you prepared first. Now this will feel a bit cold, a bit strange maybe. Have you played with your ass before?”

“Um, fingered myself a few times jerking off, but never got more than two in there.” Jackson answered, reaching down to give his still hard dick several tugs, pleasure flowing back into his chest. “It was awkward too.”

“I bet. This should feel good.” Oscar said, the popping of the lube bottle’s cap coming a moment later. Jackson could hear a squirting sound, but he just pressed his forehead into the pillow and closed his eyes, concentrating on Oscar’s hand as he spread one ass cheek back, his hole now fully exposed. “Oh, damn! It looks tight as hell, but I love that you manscape back here!”

“I like feeling smooth.” Jackson muttered, grunting when he felt the cool wetness of Oscar’s finger tease against his outer ring. His ass clenched and he forced himself to relax, breathing deep and trying to match Oscar’s slightly fast pulse. The first finger sunk in and Jackson gasped before releasing a long groan as Oscar pushed deeper, the sensation unlike anything he had felt before. “Oh my god!”

“Haha, relax, Jackson, we’re only starting.” Oscar laughed good-naturedly, pulling his finger back out and then pushing in using a smooth motion. He repeated the action several times as Jackson groaned and moaned in response, his pleasured cries only getting louder when a second finger was added, and then a third. Oscar moved with careful precision, speeding up as Jackson shivered and pressed back harder onto his fingers, impaling his ass as Oscar gripped his hip in his other hand. “You like that?”

“Oh my god, yes! It’s like the best thing ever!” Jackson moaned, his eyes closed as he gave himself up to the sensations. “Ahhh!” He spasmed, almost shooting his load when Oscar suddenly began to curl his fingers inside him. Jackson released his cock, wiping the precum from his hand onto the duvet. He twisted his head to one side, trying to look back at Oscar. “H-hey, I can’t…can you stop before I cum?”

“That close, huh?” Oscar smirked and pulled out of him carefully. He grabbed a nearby towel and cleaned his fingers, but his attention was obviously still fixed on Jackson’s now widened hole as his heart pounded loudly to the werewolf’s ears. “Damn…”

“That felt _so_ good!” Jackson murmured, already missing the sensation of Oscar opening him up. He grabbed his cock again and gave it a few quick jerks, pulling himself back to the brink of cumming before Jackson let it go. “Dude, am I ready yet? Can you fuck me now?”

“Um, I think so.” Oscar smiled at him and picked up the bottle of lube, this time letting a long stream drip down onto his thick cock. He slicked the gel over the length and polished the head, gesturing for Jackson to stay where he was. “I don’t like it doggy style, by the way, but I think it’s the easiest one for the first time; you’re able to go in nice and slow and both of us have great control.”

“What way do you like it?” Jackson asked, feeling the bed sag as Oscar climbed back on, positioning himself behind him. He felt shivers race across his torso and sink into his dick when the werebear replaced his hand on his ass cheek. The sudden hardness that pressed against his crack made Jackson moan involuntarily. “Ahhh!”

“Easy, I’ll be gentle.” Oscar whispered soothingly. “But, um, I like any position where I can see your face, your body. Your back and ass are great, Jackson, don’t get me wrong, but that chest; those nipples, your amazing abs? That’s where it’s at, man! If things go well, I definitely want to cum on your chest!”

“Aww, yeah!” Jackson groaned longingly as the words formed images in his mind. He rocked back against Oscar’s cock and felt the head push snugger into his crack. “I’m ready, man, my dick is so fucking hard!”

“Yeah, ok. I’m starting now.” Oscar replied, the hint of a laugh in his voice. He slipped his hands further up Jackson’s tight waist and gripped him slightly too hard in order to provide leverage for pushing inside. The werebear released a long, low groan as he thrust forward, pushing the wide head and first inch of his thick shaft inside Jackson’s tight ass. “Ahh!”

“Ah! Ow!” Jackson yelped, grabbing the edge of the pillow and squeezing it hard. He felt his eyes bloom into sapphire gems and the bed in front of him slip into predator infrared as his body struggled to adjust to the pain, perceiving a threat. Jackson heard his blood rushing in his ears, loud enough to drown out Oscar’s voice until a primeval sound made everything switch from werewolf to human. “Huh?!”

“Ahh, got you back.” Oscar was caressing his chest and stomach with long, smooth strokes, avoiding Jackson’s cock entirely. He kissed Jackson’s shoulder and offered him a smile when Jackson looked over his shoulder. “You were losing it.”

“Yeah, I…what happened?” 

“Wolves and bears,” Oscar shrugged. “Not exactly natural allies; I growled, and that pulled you back.”

“The greater threat.” Jackson nodded. He swallowed and then laughed as his cock twitched against his naval. “Well, it might have tricked my brain, but my dick is still in the moment!”

“Yup, I didn’t want to make you cum while you were in your head.” Oscar explain, shifting back into his original position. “I’m not fully in you yet, you ready to keep going? Or we can stop; do you need me to take your pain? I’m not very good at it since most werebears don’t have the talent.”

“Um, no, it’s fine, I’m kind used to your girth now. And you did a really good job loosening me and your dick is really slick, I love the feeling.” Jackson admitted, easing himself backwards and feeling Oscar’s cock slide deeper into him. “Ahhh, yeah!”

“Almost buried in ya!” Oscar grinned, gripping Jackson’s hips again, this time his arms staying straight as his hips acted as a hinge, allowing him to pull out halfway. He pushed in, moving faster this time when Jackson groaned encouragingly under him. “Oh, fuck, dude, you feel so good!”

“So do you!” Jackson moaned into the pillow, his arms wrapped tightly around it. Another thrust and his lips parted as he gasped out his breath at Oscar’s stuttering hips. He could feel his cock twitch and drool along his abs, the unmistakable shiver firing down his shaft as Oscar pulled almost out of him, just his wide cock head left to stretch his rim. When the older guy slammed back inside with practiced ease, Jackson cried out and cum splattered against the duvet in an uncontrolled orgasm that made his eyes roll back into his head and pleasure rip a furious path from his ass to his chest and somehow divert down into his cock again. “AHHHH! Oh my god! Yes! Aw, fuck!”

“Haha, hell, yeah, Jackson!” Oscar grunted, fucking him harder as he continued to shoot, ropes of cum dripping off his torso. “That’s insane!”

“Aw, man,” Jackson panted as Oscar slowed down. “I can’t believe I came that fast! That’s so embarrassing!”

“It’s your first time, trust me I lasted like twenty seconds my first time.” Oscar reassured him, pulling out fully as Jackson groaned and reached for him. “I just want you to turn over, we can keep going if you want to?”

“Yeah, I do.” Jackson nodded, turning onto his back. His ass felt loose and yet still tight, a pleasurable burn reaching through him. “Fuck, dude, you’re bigger than before!” Jackson exclaimed when he caught sight of Oscar kneeling in front of him, his dick gleaming in the low light, slick with lube and precum. He swallowed hard, his own cock instantly recovering as his still-warm cum dried on his chest. _I need that back in me! I need his thickness filling me up so completely!_

“Mmmh, damn, you’re hot, Jackson!” Oscar growled, diving on top of him and crushing their lips together. He urged Jackson’s thighs apart with one hand, forcing his own body into place and directing his cock towards the werewolf’s open hole as his other hand slipped back to its grip on his neck, pulling Jackson deeper into their passionate kiss. “Mmmh!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I’m sorry it’s been so long between updates, I’ve really been dropping the ball lately on writing. There’s been a lot going on personally and professionally so I’m finding it hard to get the balance right. All I can do is say that I’ll try to update this story once a month, at least until I get one of my other projects wrapped up.
> 
> There was to be a second part to the smut in this chapter, but I decided to leave that for another time- there’ll be plenty of smut in this story, and Jackson and Oscar will have a lot more fun over the next few chapters!
> 
> I aim to have Ethan’s chapter out tomorrow since it’s fully mapped out and more plot focused. Thanks for reading!


	8. Old Threats, Old Wars

Ethan pulled his t-shirt from his waistband, having taken it off as they climbed back up towards the hidden entrance to the pride’s home. He shivered slightly as the sun dipped behind some clouds, a fresh alpine breeze cutting through the straggly trees nearby to raise his nipples into aroused hardness. Ethan let his eyes rest on Axel’s tight ass, clad in his shorts as they reached the final slope, longing uncurling in his chest and flicking down to his crotch. But the werewolf released the feeling in lieu of pulling his shirt on and darting inside when Axel opened the door. “Thanks, I’m pretty hungry!”

“Yes, I’ve been hearing your stomach growl for the past twenty minutes.” Axel replied, a smirk touching his otherwise serious expression. “The _Gút Schweinebraten_ should be ready shortly, we can make our way into the common area anyway.”

“Cool, I’m really curious to taste it.”

“It vill be brilliant!” A loud voice boomed out from the darkness beyond the first passageway, another teenager emerging beside them, coming from the tunnel that led to somewhere else in the mountain hideaway. 

“Ah, Oswald.” Axel muttered, his scent hanging on nervousness before it slipped back into easy neutrality. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be joining us, you’ve been very busy with the archives of late.”

“Yes, I have, but _Gút Schweinebraten_ , Axel! How could I miss zat?!” Oswald proclaimed as he fell into step with them. “Ze taste! Ze memories! Oh! Ze memories!”

“Yeah, I-”

“It is like smelling ze old vorld von more time!” The Löwenmensch sighed happily, talking over them. “And Hans is a very good cook, almost as good as his grandmother! Ahh, do you not remember it, Axel?!”

“Sure, but-”

"If I could travel back just von day, back to ze old vorld, just to taste her cooking. Von day in 846! Zat is all I ask! Ah, oh." Oswald suddenly stopped talking, appearing to notice Ethan for the first time as they stepped into the empty observation room. “Uh, I forgot about ze young verevolf! Have I…messed things up again?”

“No, Oswald, it’s…Ethan understands about our long life.” Axel patted the teenager’s shoulder and smiled tightly as Ethan grunted in surprise, able to look at Oswald properly. “Though I think I should explain you to him.”

“Um, please?” Ethan bit back a laugh as he cast his eyes over Oswald. The Löwenmensch was about the same age as Axel, a faint family resemblance around their faces, though Oswald suffered from a long, white scar that ripped from one side of his face to the other, the wound puckering the flesh across his brow, nose and mouth. But it was the elaborate outfit that Oswald was wearing that captured Ethan’s attention. A black velvet collar shone like a thousand stars around a long, dark purple shirt made of some sort of heavy fabric, wool perhaps, that stretched across Oswald's large, muscular frame. 

There was a cape of pink and silver flowing out behind him that had been attached to the shirt with ornate golden lions’ heads. His thighs were constrained by maroon tubes of linen that flared out into bizarre wide balloons at his knees while his feet were wrapped in bright blue slippers with curled tassels at the ends. Over his heart, the Löwenmensch sported dozens of medals and ribbons; some faded with age, others gleaming with fresh polish. Ethan raised his gaze upwards as Oswald looked at him with steely determination. “That’s, um, I like your, uh, style.”

“It vas ze height of fashion in ze court of Tobias ze Despoiler!”

“The Imperial _König_ ,” Axel whispered by way of explanation. “1670, if I recall.”

“Indeed!” Oswald smirked at Ethan and wandered over to the transparent observation window that looked out on the valley. “So, zis young von knows ze secret of our long life, hmm, but not all ze secrets, ah?!"

"No, not all." Axel replied smoothly, lowering his voice for Ethan’s benefit. “Oswald is my…estranged cousin, he takes care of our archives. Not one for company most of the time, he stays in the, um, attic, I suppose.”

“Right.” Ethan mumbled, shaking his head. _Ok, that guy is just plain weird, but we all have that weird cousin we never introduce people to on the first date! This one is just a bit more exotic than a Trekie!_ He smiled to himself and nodded at Axel. “I get it. But, um, why is he…”

“Stuck in the past?” Axel’s words were barely above a whisper, though Oswald was still staring out the window across the room from them, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. “The scar, the wound, it changed him, he prefers to stay in his memories, fighting the battle we lost over and over again. Part of the curse of not aging much.”

“Hmm.” Ethan grunted, recalling the story Axel had told him earlier that morning. “He seems interesting though.”

“That’s true.” The Löwenmensch smiled and crossed the room, stopping behind his cousin. “So, tell me, why emerge from the archives now? Some new discovery?”

“Alas, I vish it vas!” Oswald turned around, shaking his head. “I vas reviewing ze missives from our lone ally in ze east, it seems zat an interloper has crossed into our borders, _mein herr_ ; a verebear!”

“Verebear? Err, I mean, a werebear?” Ethan stumbled through his words, flushing as the two of them looked at him. “I’ve never heard of that kind of supernatural before. Is it what it sounds like?”

“Exactly.” Axel nodded, his brow furrowed by a worried crease. He looked at Oswald and gestured for him to continue. “What do we know?”

“A female, she entered ze territory through Moravia and has already made her vay into ze Alps; ze falcon vas delayed.” Oswald sighed unhappily. “Our ally believes zat she is of ze Outcasts, ze Russian vons.”

“What?” Ethan looked at Axel as he groaned. “What does that mean?”

“Werebears were part of the Imperial Löwenmensch Armies for many years before the Hunter Rebellion of 1740,” Axel explained, beginning to pace back and forth in front of them. “The Hunters didn’t like their role as peacekeepers between warring factions of the werewolves, so they decided to rise up and attempt to overthrow us.”

“Ze arrogance!” Oswald spat, his eyes turning into dark red pools, the same silver star exploding in the center of the pupil that Axel sported. “Attempting to fight against zeir rightful masters? Pathetic!”

“Uh, yes,” Axel carefully avoided Ethan’s raised brows. “Anyway, we used the werebears to put down the revolt and, um, purge the troublemakers from the werewolf packs. They didn’t like being used any more than the hunters, but the war cost them dearly. Half simply left; going to the New World, while the others grew more insular, and so we cast them out.”

“Zey had served zeir purpose.” Oswald added dismissingly. “So zey vent east and ve have not dealt vith zem for many years. Until now.”

“Hmm, that sounds…” Ethan swallowed hard as Axel looked at him, his expression carefully neutral. _It was a different time! Sure, it sounds barbaric now, but like maybe neither of them actually gave the order? Ugh, this was so much easier when I just had to worry about him being a hot sixteen year old!_ “It sounds like she wants something.” He finished lamely. “Any clues?”

“Zere is only von thing she could hope to find in ze Alps.” Oswald replied, his German accent becoming even heavier. “I believe she iz after ze idol; ze _Geschenk des Königs_ , and ve cannot let her get her grubby little mitts on zat, can ve?!” He waved his hand furiously in Ethan’s face. “ _Nein!_ ” 

“Err, ok?” He backed off slightly, moving closer to Axel.

“Thank you, Oswald, this is a serious threat.” Axel replied, gesturing for Ethan to walk with him towards the common room. “I need to think about our response.”

“It iz too late for zat, _mein herr_!” The other Löwenmensch cried out, rushing after them. “Kurt has already heard, he vas vith me feeding ze falcons and read ze missive. He vill go, he said.”

“Not alone.” Axel replied sharply. “One werebear shouldn’t be a problem, but if she gets the…idol, he could be in danger.”

 _What’s the idol?_ Ethan thought to himself, staying quiet as the two Löwenmensch argued back and forth. He cleared his throat as they reached the door to the common room. “I can go with you, Axel, it sounds interesting. I’ve never seen a werebear before and well, I can fight if you need backup.”

“I, I suppose.” Axel admitted reluctantly before nodding. “Ok, we’ll go after lunch, Hans has put too much effort in for us to simply leave. Besides, that veal smells really good!”

“Yeah!” Ethan agreed, breathing the scent of the roasting meat in. They entered the common room, a wave of heat washing across them from the ovens. “Damn it’s hot!”

 

“There you all are!” Kurt proclaimed, getting up and walking over to them. “I assume Oswald has filled you in, brother?”

“Yes,” Axel nodded, touching Kurt’s arm and gesturing with his other hand towards the table at the back of the room. “I’m not letting you tear off after her alone, Ethan will be joining us too. But we have things to discuss, come.”

Ethan smiled tightly as the two brothers walked away, leaving him with their eccentric cousin. He coughed and looked at Oswald’s clothes again. “So, um, what’s with the, uh, medals?”

“I am celebrating ze Battle of Vite Mountain, during ze Thirty Years Var, you have heard of it, yes?” Ethan shrugged and Oswald grinned, puffing out his chest. “I have _lived_ it! Vat a time to be alive! But ze historians, zey got it all vrong! Even ze date! Oh, sure, ve beat back ze Bohemians like zey vere puny verevolves...err, no offense."

"None taken." Ethan muttered. _Puny werewolves._ He sunk into a seat as the rest of the pride gathered around the table, laying out plates and helping Hans with the final part of the meal. "Um, so, what really happened?"

"Vell, zey say zat it vas zat idiot Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy zat led ze Imperial Army, but it vas me! Not zat I expected zey vould admit zat an army of mythical verevolves and verebears and _mighty_ Löwenmensch destroyed ze enemies of ze Empire!"

"Food's here!" Chorused Wolfgang and Hilda, stopping Oswald mid-stream just as he was beginning to gesture wildly with his arms.

"Thank you!" Ethan mouthed at Wolfgang, the young Löwenmensch grinning knowingly. He glanced down the table towards Axel, seeing him deep in conversation with Kurt. Ethan shrugged and helped himself to the small, rounded loaves of bread that were in the basket in front of him, still warm from the oven. His nostrils flared as Hans began to cut into the dark crust of roasted herbs that covered the outside of the large piece of meat. Ethan’s mouth watered and he blinked when they unexpectedly offered him the first few slices. “Err, shouldn’t Axel get-”

“Guests first.” Axel called out, gesturing for him to take it. “And eat plenty, we have quite the hike ahead of us this afternoon!”

“You’re the boss-uh, king!” Ethan grinned and accepted the meat, letting the others load up his plate with the sides of roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes, while nudging him towards an aromatic, spicy sauce that Ethan dribbled over the meat. Oswald beside him was praising Hans and regaling them all with yet another tale from his storied past. Ethan caught Axel’s eye and grinned. _They might be crazy at times and superior as anyone I’ve ever met, but they’re a family, a pack, I miss how that feels. If only Aiden were here, he’d love this place, we could have found out so much together._

 

The sun was bright and hot again when Ethan, Axel, and Kurt left the sanctuary of the Löwenmensch and headed deeper into the mountains. He had dressed in shorts and a loose shirt which Ethan left open, the fabric held in place by the straps of his backpack. Kurt was similarly dressed in light, open clothing, his rippling abs drawing Ethan’s eyes easily, while Axel had changed into longer pants and a tight-fitting t-shirt that rivalled his brother’s abs for Ethan’s attention. 

_Good looks clearly run in the family!_ Ethan thought to himself as he walked along behind the brothers, thankful that at least his trunks kept his half-hard cock from giving his arousal away. Although from the way Kurt was glancing back at him with a smirk, his scent probably wasn’t hiding anything. “Hey, um, you guys can mask your scent, right?”

“Yup.” Kurt nodded, stopping when Axel scouted ahead up the rocky path. The sunshine beamed down on him as he took a drink of water, Ethan’s eyes lingering on the smoothness of his neck as Kurt swallowed. “Bet you wish you could do that, huh?!”

“Uh.”

“C’mon, I can smell your arousal!” Kurt grinned at Ethan’s discomfort. “You’re really horny for my brother, huh? Or…maybe it’s both of us?”

“I, fuck…” Ethan trailed off as the Löwenmensch opened his flask again, but this time tipped the contents onto his bare chest, trails of water running down his smooth, tanned skin towards his sagging waistline. The werewolf’s eyes locked onto the moisture as his cock responded by stretching to full hardness and bulging out his shorts. “Uh-”

“Hahaha!” Kurt started laughing and bent double, backing away from Ethan’s flustered expression. “Oh my god! You must be really hard up, huh, Ethan?! When was the last time you got laid?! I’m just joking with you!”

“I…uh,” Ethan was saved further embarrassment when Axel returned and gestured for them to follow him. He quickly ran ahead, leaving Kurt still laughing as the sun dried the water from his body. “Thanks for that.”

“Mmh, Kurt does love practical jokes,” Axel replied, guiding him along the edge of the cliff and onto even ground. “I think he developed it from watching that, um, YouTube on the computer. Try not to let him trick too much.”

“Yeah, I’ll try.” Ethan frowned at the back of Axel’s head as he fell behind again. “You didn’t hear…anything?”

“Oh, I heard everything, Ethan; enhanced senses, remember?”

“Oh, uh.”

“Relax, we’ll talk about it after we deal with the werebear.” Axel grinned at him over his shoulder. “If there’s one thing that living this long has taught me, it’s that rushing into romantic entanglements is never advised! Now, we need to make it to the upper lake by nightfall to avoid travelling through Gunter’s Pass in the dark; treacherous footing even in the summer. But the trail is clear of sheep for once so we might get there without having to take the roundabout way; that adds hours to the trip.”

“Um, ok.” Ethan fell silent as he walked behind Axel, a still-smirking Kurt bringing up the rear. _He’s been alive for so long…I wonder how many guys he’s been with though? Like even if he didn’t do anything for the first two hundred years of his life, that’s still a thousand years’ worth of experience and dick! I bet he’s done it all too; top, bottom, vers…shit, I’m practically a virgin next to him!_

“Watch your footing, Ethan.” Kurt called out, grabbing the back of his backpack and pulling the werewolf away from the boulders that lined the trail.

“Ah!” Ethan blinked and gasped as he watched a pebble fly off and fall for a long time until he lost it from sight. “Thanks.”

“Best to keep in the present.” Axel called out from ahead of them. “I do not expect an ambush so close to the valley, but if this werebear is following the old trails, she will arrive near the upper lake.”

“What are you going to do when you find her?” Ethan asked, wiping the sweat from his brow as they crested a rise in the path. The view beneath him fell away from harsh stone and into a verdant hollow with a clear, icy blue lake in the middle. “Wow.”

“Yeah, that’s the upper lake,” Kurt replied, standing next to him. “We’ll camp on the far shore, go through the pass tomorrow.”

“Gather the firewood as we move across the glade,” Axel instructed his brother, gesturing for Ethan to walk next to him. “It’s early afternoon, I know, but it has been quite the day for you, huh?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“No.” The Löwenmensch smirked quickly. “The werebear cannot be allowed to enter the fortress where the idol is kept, too many secrets, too much blood has been spilled there already. I don’t want there to be more, I will try and convince her, but if she insists.” He let his eyes glow softly as Ethan swallowed nervously.

“What is this idol? Why is it so important?” Ethan saw Axel hesitate and he pressed closer to the other guy. “Does it have something to do with the others? With their madness?”

“The idol is…a tool,” Axel replied vaguely, walking along the shores of the incredibly blue lake, Ethan by his side as Kurt gathered firewood behind them. “It allows for more power to be transferred from one individual to another; sort of like how Betas kill Alphas and steal their spark to become Alphas themselves. This just allows it to happen without the death.”

“I could have used that a few years ago.” Ethan muttered darkly, his past life rushing back in a cold splatter of blood. He shook his head to clear the memories and instead looked around as Axel stopped walking. “Is this it?”

“There is water nearby, a spring of cool alpine mist that refreshes the soul.” Axel smiled at him, pointing towards the nearby base of cliff that towered above them. “These trees here will shelter us from the sun for the evening and I have a small tent in my backpack. Err, as long as you don’t object to being in close quarters with us? Kurt usually sleeps under the stars, but he might want to, hmm, join us if he smells the potential for more trickery.”

“Oh?” Ethan smiled as Axel turned to look at his brother in the glade. Kurt had stripped off his shirt, using it to help him carry the bundle of wood back to them, his biceps bulging and glistening with sweat. Ethan felt his cock twitch into hardness again, as much as Axel was the hotter of the two, Kurt was still sexy enough to get his pulse racing. _Damn, I’m going to be so hard I’ll never sleep!_ “I suppose I’ll just have to bear with it. Oh, haha.”

“Hmm, indeed.” Axel smirked at his unwitting pun and laid his backpack on the ground. “After that hike, I imagine you could do with cooling down. Race ya to the lake?”

“Huh?” Ethan’s eyes bulged out as Axel stripped his shirt off and started sprinting towards the water. “Hey! Wait for me!”


	9. Wild Oats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following chapter contains smut.

The early morning air still had the edge of coolness to it when the train pulled out of the station, carrying them away from Paris and its monuments to glory, idyllic riverside cafes, and the memories of burning passion that were seared into Jackson’s mind from the night before. The train was different to ones he’d been in before; a long procession of silver cars with compartments instead of open seating, but Jackson liked it better; it fit more with his imagination of what bouncing around Europe would be like when he had day-dreamed about the trip for the last few months. 

The summer season had only just started in France, apparently, as the train was quiet and almost empty on the pleasant Wednesday morning, the azure blue sky visible from the large sash windows was utterly cloudless, promising another hot midsummer’s day. Oscar pushed down the windows as they claimed a compartment in the middle of the carriage, Jackson sliding the door shut behind them, their luggage sitting in the empty space between the seats. “Nice!”

“Yeah, it is, right?” Oscar smiled back at him, turning to help stow their bags on the long metal racks that were bolted above the seats, two on either side of the cabin. “You can sit down, I got this, plus you seem kinda tired.”

“Well, it was a late night,” Jackson smirked, his ass clenching involuntarily almost as though he could feel Oscar sliding his big dick back inside him. _Heaven!_ He bit back the moan that threatened to escape and instead moved over to the window, grunting as his cock lengthened awkwardly, pressing along his thigh. “Ah.”

“What?”

“Nothing, just my damn underwear keeps riding up and my shorts are too tight to fix it without looking like I’m playing with my dick!” Jackson grumbled, sticking his hand into the front to pull the offending bunched cotton back into place. He caught Oscar’s arched brow and shrugged. “I can do it in front of you. And besides, maybe you _like_ thinking that I’m playing with myself!”

“You know I do!” Oscar grinned openly and crowded into Jackson’s space, close enough that they were almost touching. He barked a laugh and pulled away as Jackson bucked towards him. “You sure you’re gonna be able to wait until we get to Nantes? I blew you off in the shower this morning and you’re still horny!”

“Yeah, I probably won’t.” The Kanima shrugged and ran his eyes across Oscar’s handsome face, dipping his gaze into the guy’s chest, tanned skin and rippling abs visible under his open shirt. He yawned suddenly, breaking the moment and collapsed onto the seat opposite Oscar. “Damn, you’re right, I am tired…”

“You should get some sleep then, I’ll wake you when we’re actually in the countryside, not this concrete jungle.” He gestured vaguely at the industrial estate they were winding through, graffiti on the dull grey walls. “Not the kind of art I was hoping to find in Europe!”

“Yeah, I want to go exploring when we get to the city,” Jackson murmured as he settled back into the utilitarian seat, the vaguely comfortable padding managed to dull the sensation of the train’s speed as they started moving faster, the steady chug-chug lulling him into a swift, dreamless slumber.

 

Jackson woke abruptly, the sensation of falling over causing him to jolt upright. “Ugh…”

“You’re alright, Jackson, we’re outside some tiny ass village in the middle of the country.” Oscar smiled reassuringly at him. “Uh, you’ve been asleep about forty minutes.”

“Oh, thanks.” Jackson yawned and rubbed his eyes, slowly feeling more awake and alert. He looked out the window at the green hedgerows whipping past, the train picking up speed again. “I’m beginning to regret not eating more at breakfast.”

“Yeah, that’s kinda the golden rule, dude; load up at the buffet and grab extra for later!”

“Oh?”

“Yup.” Oscar grinned again and stood up, reaching for his bag above Jackson’s head. The action caused the halves of his open shirt to fall away and reveal even more of his tanned, muscular torso, wide pecs flexing in the motion. “Just a minute…”

“Take your time.” Jackson swallowed, looking up at Oscar, his cock stirring to life as he longed to reach out and run his hands down the guy’s body again, as he had done countless times the night before. But a moment later, Oscar was sitting back down, his bag blocking Jackson’s view of his awesome chest. “You got something for me?” _Oh, that sounded dirty, and he’s grinning, fuck, I wish he’d give me his cock again!_

“Jackson?” Oscar laughed and waved his hand in front the teenager’s face. “You’re glazing over, and don’t forget that I can totally smell you; there’ll be more than enough time later for doing all the things you’re thinking of!”

“Don’t underestimate the scope of my imagination!”

“Hah, here, I grabbed some extra pastries from the buffet.” Oscar handed him the pain au chocolat and pulled out a small bottle of orange juice. “But I bought this in this station so it shouldn’t have gone too cold.”

“Thanks, man, I owe you.” Jackson replied, accepting the offerings and taking a large bite out of the pastry. “Mmh, so good!”

“Relax, Jackson, you don’t owe me anything.” Oscar leaned back, his face tilted towards the window, his bright blue eyes seeming to be focused on the world outside. 

“Ok.” Jackson finished eating, a comfortable silence falling between them as he passed the juice back to Oscar. “So, um, you’re ok with the plan? Touring the western coastal cities until we get to the South of France?”

“I’m not on a deadline or anything,” Oscar shrugged. “I mean, yeah, I need to back in the States for classes in the Fall. But that’s so far away I don’t even want to think about it!”

“I hear you.”

“And the plan is a good one; we should roll into Nice at the right time for all the hot college guys to be a few days into their partying!”

“Um, I don’t think we need them to have low standards.” Jackson frowned at him. “I mean, I have high standards, obviously.”

“Right.” Oscar replied with a slow grin and Jackson felt his heart beat faster, his cock hardening again. “What I mean is that they’ll have that intense first foreign fuck out of their system and be much more manageable!”

“Hmm, that’s a good point.” Jackson laughed, shaking his head. “Do you still plan on heading to Prague, or was that just a cover? You know, trying to find your true-bear-form trainer?”

“Um, not sure yet. I do want to find that person, but I don’t have much to go on.” He shrugged and finished the last of the juice after Jackson gestured for him to have it. “A few scraps of information from a werebear I met in London; she was talking about some strange things happening in the Alps. I thought I might start there.”

“What sort of strange things?”

“Oh, people going missing, howling in the night, rumors of the secret hideout of some sort of ultra-supernatural ancient ruling class.” Oscar counted them off on his fingers, nodding when Jackson stared at him. “I know, that last one sounds crazy, right? Anyway, she said that I might find some more information in Milan; that’s where the biggest concentration of werebears lived before they left for the colonies in America.”

“At least you know your history.” Jackson muttered, looking down at his hand, his mind’s eye casting a memory of his scaled skin onto the tanned flesh. “All I know is that I’m a werewolf gone wrong with a bunch of added extras that no one would ever want.”

“Kanimas are really rare, Jackson, and, well, there’s a reason why we don’t know much about them.” Oscar wiped the sweat from his brow as the train turned in a long swing southwards and bathed in compartment in sweltering heat. “But you know yourself and that’s all that matters. We each have to forge our own way; you just have a blanker canvas than most of us.”

“That was sweet, thanks.” Jackson smiled, closing his eyes as he let the sunshine wash over his face, the pleasant heat sinking into his bones. “Aw, this is perfect.”

“Yeah, it is.” Oscar whispered, mirroring Jackson’s posture, his bare chest rising and falling slowly as the sunlight gleamed across his smooth skin. 

“I can think of a way for it to be more perfect.” Jackson smirked as he covertly watched Oscar under barely opened eyelids. He sat up suddenly and then stood, reaching to pull the curtains across the sliding door that led into the corridor and the rest of the train. Jackson turned back to see Oscar casually rubbing the palm of his hand across the bulge of his red shorts. “Yeah, that was what I was thinking.”

“Hmm, it’s risky.”

“It’s kinda become our thing, huh?” Jackson shrugged as Oscar smirked and undid the cords that held his shorts up. “Stop, let me.”

“If you want to, I guess.”

“Good.” Jackson grinned cockily and sank to his knees between Oscar’s legs, his hands pressing against the wide protrusion of the werebear’s kneecaps as Jackson nodded at Oscar’s shirt. “Take that off though, it’s hot enough that you should be shirtless.”

“Uh huh, not sure the ticket inspector will accept that excuse!” Oscar laughed but sat up, his abs clenching as he pulled his muscular arms out of the patterned cloth. After he was done, he stretched, raising his arms so his biceps and triceps were transformed into hard banks of smooth muscle, Jackson’s eyes locked onto his every move, inching closer to Oscar’s crotch. “That muscular enough for ya?”

“For now, yeah.” Jackson swallowed the excess salvia in his mouth as thoughts flashed through his mind rapidly, shifting from wanting Oscar’s dick in his mouth, his ass, to straddling the older guy’s waist and getting fucked as he was able to run his hands all over those smooth bulging muscles. “Mmh!” He reached out and undid the rest of the knot from the cord, eagerly pulling the shorts down and away, leaving them puddled around Oscar’s ankles. The werebear’s trunks were bulging outwards with the shape of Oscar’s thick cock, his hardon immediately freed when Jackson wasted no time in admiring him, pulling his dick out and wrapping one hand around the girthy shaft. “Oh yeah!”

“Fuck! That feels good!”

“About to feel better, for both of us!” Jackson winked and opened his mouth wide, sinking his lips down the thickness until he felt the tip rest comfortably against the back of his throat. Oscar's hand came up and rested against his cheek before moving to brush Jackson's hair back from his forehead and the he gently guided Jackson's mouth into motion. It was the only encouragement he needed; bobbing up and down in long, wet strokes, his right hand grasping the thick base of Oscar's cock, Jackson's thumb stretching out to press carefully under the large, full balls. "Mmh!"

"Aw yeah, Jackson! Aw, take it, that's it!" Oscar moaned softly, thrusting slowly into Jackson's mouth as the other guy sped up. He reached out with his free hand, grasping Jackson's right arm above the elbow, grinning as he felt the muscles stretch and bulge. "Fuck....you are so hot!"

"I think you're hotter!" Jackson pulled off Oscar's dick with a wet slurp, continuing to jerk him off slowly. "And I so want to ride you right now!"

"Ah, that might be pushing our luck." Oscar laughed softly, pulling Jackson towards him, crushing their lips together for a moment. He pushed Jackson away and the Kanima resumed sucking him off. "If this was an actual sleeper carriage, we'd have a bed."

"Sounds like something we need to experience." Jackson grinned up at him, pausing in order to pull his own raging hardon out of his shorts. He began jerking himself off, his hand moving slowly to avoid cumming too soon, his shaft already slick with precum after the churning clash of fantasy and reality from a few minutes ago. "Ah! Ah! Ah, yeah!"

"Mmh, fuck, that's hot!" Oscar grunted, arching into Jackson's mouth when the other guy redoubled his efforts, cheeks hollowing out until Oscar couldn't take it any longer and he gripped Jackson's hair to signal for him to pull off. "Dude!"

Jackson didn't reply, lost in the passion of the sensations firing from his mouth to his chest to his dick and looping back again. He kept his eyes locked onto Oscar's until the last moment when Oscar's lids squeezed shut and his balls tensed up under Jackson's fingers, his cock head shuddering between his lips. _Aw, fuck yeah, I made him cum!_

"Ahh! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Oscar gasped, his muscles clenching and going taut as he shot his load into Jackson's warm, wet, mouth. "Aw yeah, Jackson..."

"Mmh!" Jackson moaned loudly around the thick cock, his cheeks bulging as he tried and failed to contain Oscar's cum, cream spilling out around his lip lock to drip down his chin onto his chest. Jackson gave his own dick a final jerk before he shot all over Oscar's legs and the rough carpet on the floor of the carriage. “Fuck, you are so damn hot!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short update, but I hope to have the Ethan chapter out by tomorrow or Friday and that will have more story. Thanks for reading!


	10. The Gift of Kings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following chapter contains strong, bloody violence.

Ethan blinked up at the grey canvas roof above him, the tent shifting slightly as a breeze caught the edge and pulled it taut for a moment before releasing it and blowing onwards. It had happened several times before, so it no longer unnerved him, but the werewolf still felt uneasy sleeping out in the open, especially when there was meant to be a werebear prowling around nearby. _Not that it seems to be affecting either of the Löwenmensch._ Ethan thought to himself as he glanced to his left, eyes glowing blue in order to better pick out the details of Axel’s body. He was rolled onto his side, facing away from Ethan, his breathing low and even, soundly asleep. The sleeping bag was gathered around his mid-section, just enough space left for Ethan to catch a glimpse of navy underwear, but he quickly pulled his gaze away, feeling like a creep.

_Yeah, like I don’t look at him enough when he’s awake…_ Ethan sighed and settled more on his back, blinking irritably as Kurt moved on his other side, the Löwenmensch kicking his feet out as he dreamed, pulse elevated and eyes darting rapidly from side to side under their lids. Unlike Axel who had pulled out a t-shirt to sleep in, much to Ethan’s disappointment, Kurt didn’t seem to have any such concerns about modesty and stripped down to his tight, skimpy briefs that left nothing to the imagination, but made Ethan conflicted about staring at him or just avoiding any eye contact. But it seemed that Kurt was doing that on purpose; he had been flirty and teasing all evening towards the werewolf, even as Axel appeared not to notice. _He didn’t fool me, Axel cared, he probably just didn’t want a fight with his brother. They seem close…they look a lot alike, but Kurt definitely has the younger, impulsive brother vibe to him, while Axel is a lot more mature. Pft! As if that means anything when they’re both centuries old!_

Ethan chewed on his bottom lip, tiredness pulling at his mind as though reminding him that he needed to rest for what might come tomorrow. The Löwenmensch had both been deliberately vague about their mission and what the werebear was after, despite Ethan asking several times. He hummed under his breath, remembering the secrets that had already been revealed to him; their long life-span, the wars they had fought in and regions they had ruled over, the hierarchy of the feudal system, the fact that Ethan’s own ancestors might have been one of Axel’s vassal families… Ethan grumbled as his thoughts pulled in a direction he was uncomfortable with, and he rolled onto his side fully, facing Axel’s back, letting his eyes fade back to their normal shade. He tried to match his own breathing with the Löwenmensch’s, slowing his thoughts and relaxing as he concentrated on the back of Axel’s neck, drifting into a disturbed, dream-filled slumber.

“Ethan!”

“Huh?” Ethan groaned, his frown smoothing out when he opened his eyes to look up into Axel’s youthful features close above him. “Oh, hi, handsome. Um, I’m awake, right?”

“Err, yeah, it’s time to get up.” Axel smirked and patted his cheek lightly. “We’ll break our fast on the way to the castle.”

“Castle? I thought we were trying to find an idol of some sort?” Ethan asked, raising himself on his hands as Axel stepped into the darkness beyond the tent’s entrance. He crawled out after the Löwenmensch, groaning as his hands and knees found dew covered grass, the eastern sky lit by a plume of orange and red as the sun slowly rose. “Ugh, what time is it?”

“Early.” Axel gestured towards the lake. “You might want to get refreshed, but we need to go.”

“Uh, right.”

“The…idol is kept in one of our castles to the north of here; an ancient place used by the first Löwenmensch to come here. It is a crumbled ruin now, long since abandoned.” Axel explained as Ethan accepted the cup of hot coffee thrust into his hands by Kurt and the two Löwenmensch began to disassemble the tent. “There is nothing of value on the surface, but the caves and tunnels underneath were used long ago for…it’s not important, that’s just where the _Geschenk des Königs_ is.”

“Right.” Ethan muttered, frowning at him. _Something tells me that whatever happened in those caves was more than just…whatever, it’s too early for secret bullshit._ “Is it far?”

“About an hour’s hike.” Kurt nodded at the mountain pass across the valley. “If we don’t hang around.”

“I’m almost done.” Axel grunted, rolling the tent fabric up and stuffing it into the small bag it came in. “Ok, let’s go.”

 

They walked in silence, Ethan focusing on his footing as they edged around a large mountain peak, the narrow path was faced with uneven rock on one side, while the other was nothing but air and a long drop down to the mist-covered foothills beneath him. Neither Kurt or Axel seemed put off by the treacherous ledge and Ethan was alone in breathing a sigh of relief when they finally stepped onto a wide plateau that extended for several hundred feet in front of another mountain peak. He looked up from the ground as the sun rose to their right, bathing them in early morning heat. “Woah, is that it?”

“That’s it.” Axel confirmed, gesturing at the sprawling stone walls that had collapsed into ruined lines of masonry and crumbling plaster. The keep itself was built into rock of the mountain, faint outlines of where the stone had been worked, doorways and windows leading into black rooms loomed out like gaps in a row of teeth. “This way.”

Ethan nodded, blinking as they walked between two weather-worn statues of prancing lions, one of whom had lost his tail, the other’s mane almost fully eroded. The courtyard was filled with straggly grass and more ruined buildings, but there was no sign of life, no birds or insects or anything. Ethan shivered, glancing back at Kurt’s determined expression, all traces of the Löwenmensch’s flirty joking wiped away. He kept walking, following Axel over to one of the doorways and stopping behind him. “What is it?”

“There should be a capstone here.” Axel sniffed the air, growling under his breath. “She beat us to it, smashing the capstone, I have the scent of her blood.”

“Grr, then let’s go after her!” Kurt replied eagerly, moving to stand next to his brother. “We can take her, Axel, no problem.”

“Right.” He nodded, sparing a glance for Ethan. “Keep quiet, werebears have very good hearing, better than werewolves.”

“Great.” Ethan muttered, flicking his claws out. “I’m ready to help you.”

“That won’t be necessary, not yet anyway.” Axel shook his head, waving his hand in front of Ethan’s face. “We’ll talk first, it’s unlikely, but perhaps she’ll see reason.”

“That _would_ be unlikely.” Kurt hissed, annoyance flashing across his handsome face. “We shouldn’t lose the element of surprise, Axel.”

“Only a coward attacks from behind.” The Löwenmensch replied stiffly, walking through the doorway before his brother could argue further. “Let’s go.”

 

Their descent into the cave was along dark, narrow tunnels, roughly hewn from the hard stone of the mountain. There was no illumination or brightness save for the glowing eyes of the Löwenmensch ahead of him and Ethan felt a swell of panic swallow him up before it was banished when Axel reached back and took his hand. “Thanks.” Ethan whispered, his pulse calming in response to a squeeze of reassurance. 

Slowly, gradually, some light began to seep into the tunnel, a strange bluish-green that danced and faded in and out against the stone walls in front of them. Ethan frowned at it, smelling the air as he tried to pick up the scent of the werebear, unsure if he was detecting it or just the unusual nature of tunnel. Axel had crouched down, and Kurt and Ethan quickly followed him, both edging closer to the mouth of the passageway, where the strange light was coming from.

Ethan felt his jaw slacken as he looked out at the incredible sight before him. _Oh my god! This was here the whole time? Fuck!_ He swept his gaze around the large, naturally formed cavern, a tall pillar of stone rising up to a flat point in the center of the room, the surface a smooth, polished white, marble perhaps, gleaming in the light that seemed to come from everywhere at once. The tunnel mouth led onto a large ring that circled around the pillar, made of a dull metal that Ethan couldn’t identify. Similar rings wound about the pillar in successive circuits until they reached the bottom of the cavern, which seemed to have some sort of pool, a brackish liquid lapping at the base of the pillar. 

He flicked his eyes back up to the tip of the pillar, seeing a waist-high plinth that rose from the middle of the marble floor. _That must be the idol, interesting._ Ethan mused to himself as he picked out the glimmer of a golden necklace held up by some unseen means; a number of pendants and fangs and talismans all fashioned from a dark, onyx-like material hung from the thick gold ropes that were wound together to form the necklace.

“There…” Axel whispered, nodding his head towards the plinth as a grunt echoed across the cavern and the werebear emerged, pulling herself up onto the marble floor. “That’s her.”

“Hmm.” Ethan wasn’t sure what he expected, but the woman looked like any other human, if a bit more muscular and well-built. Her eyes weren’t glowing and only her claws were revealed; heavy and powerful looking. He glanced at Axel and nodded, following the Löwenmensch out onto the metal ring. _Here we go._

“You!” Axel shouted out, his voice carrying easily across the cavern. The woman froze and turned towards them. “You have no right to come here, this place is not for you!”

Kurt grabbed Ethan’s hand suddenly as Axel leapt into the air, clearing the wide gap between the ring and the pillar with ease. “C’mon, take a run up!” Together they dashed towards the edge, Kurt pulling him along as Ethan jumped, realizing halfway through that he wasn’t going to make it before the Löwenmensch’s extra prowess kicked in. 

“Ah!”

“I gotchu!”

“Werebear!” Axel continued after he glanced back to ensure they were alright. “We will let you return to your brethren in the east with no more than this warning if you leave now.”

“Hah, Löwenmensch, the kings of the world.” She spat at them, prowling around the plinth, her eyes darting between the idol and the trio. “This does not belong with you; my people should have it.”

“You cannot be trusted with the power of the _Geschenk des Königs_.” Kurt growled, releasing Ethan’s hand as he moved to stand next to Axel. “Besides, has your lore fallen so far? You need one of us to unlock the power it contains; you need the blood of the _König_ to unleash the potential you carry.”

“I know my own history, cat!” She snarled, baring her fangs at them and swiping the idol from the plinth, grasping it in one hand. “The rituals said nothing about the king needing to give his blood freely, rawr!”

“ _Scheisse!_ ” Kurt cried out, pushing Ethan to one side as the werebear charged towards them.

“Axel!” Ethan shouted, looking on in horror as the werebear collided heavily with him and they both hurtled off the edge of the pillar, splashing into the water below with a massive impact. “Crap!”

“Just get down as fast as you can!” Kurt said to him, before jumping off the side and following the duelling pair into the water. “Rawr!”

“Damn it!” Ethan growled to himself, looking over the edge. “Oh man, that’s way too far, and that water looks shallow. Ok, ok, I’ll jump from ring to ring!”

 

By the time he reached the lower ring, the two Löwenmensch were fully engaged with the werebear. She was bleeding from a dozen wounds across her face and torso, but Kurt was limping with pained yelps and one side of Axel’s face and neck was covered in a sticky coating of dark red blood. Ethan jumped into the water, his eyes glowing blue. “I got your back!”

“A werewolf?” The werebear seemed taken aback and Axel used the distraction to charge forward, slashing a wide arc up her chest, sending her staggering backwards. “Ah!”

“You ignored our warnings; you broke the code of laws that protects the peace between us when you crossed into my kingdom.” Axel breathed hard as he wrapped his hands around the werebear’s neck, his eyes burning malevolently in the gloom at the base of the pillar. “I will not-argh!” He cried out, reeling backwards as the werebear recovered her strength and plunged her claws into his chest, the long spikes of sharpened bone piercing his flesh as bright pools of crimson red blossomed in the fabric of his t-shirt.

“Gah!” Ethan attempted to run towards Axel when he was backhanded by the werebear, his nose exploding in a shower of pain and blood. He managed to reach out and ripped the idol from her hand, Kurt grabbing his collar to drag him away as the werebear roared in anger. “Wait! What about-”

“He’ll be alright, we have to protect the idol!” Kurt cut across him, holding Ethan tightly as the werewolf struggled to get away. “Ethan!”

“Get back here!” The werebear screamed, thrashing erratically as she tried in vain to break out of Axel’s powerful grip. “Yarrrr!”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Axel snarled, releasing his stranglehold and instead using one hand to grab her free arm. There was a mighty crack followed by a pained howl as the Löwenmensch snapped the bone in half, the bloody protrusion an ugly sight. “Go ahead, keep fighting, you’re not getting out of here alive!” Axel grunted, gripping her other arm, her claws still buried in his chest. He pulled himself forward sharply, ignoring Ethan’s cry of alarm as the werebear’s claws punctured deep, blood pooling around her hand. After closing the gap, Axel growled, his fangs lowering fully as his face changed shape and his true Löwenmensch form was revealed.

“Oh fuck!” Ethan grimaced and shut his eyes quickly as he saw the Löwenmensch lunge towards the werebear’s throat, the wet sounds of tearing flesh and rapidly pounding heartbeats was enough to tell him what had just happened. He felt nausea wash over him accompanied by a strong iron taste to the air as one of the heartbeats stopped abruptly and there was an unpleasant spitting noise from where Axel was standing. “Err, is it over?”

“It is over.” Kurt whispered, releasing him and reclaiming the idol from Ethan’s unresisting grasp. “You can open your eyes.”

“Thanks.” Ethan stood up slowly, looking over at Axel and swallowing hard as he watched the Löwenmensch pull the werebear’s limp arm from his chest, twisting the claws out of the jagged wound. Torn skin and ripped cloth were covered in shredded muscle and a dark red sheen of blood as Axel leaned back against the pillar. _That was…savage._ “Um, are you hurt?”

“I’ll heal.” He grunted, wiping his lips with his forearm, blood transferring onto his tanned skin, his appearance more imposing than it was before. Axel knelt down, washing his hands and arms and face clean of the worst of the gore, before he cupped his hands and swished his mouth out. “You’re staring, Ethan.”

“I’ve, uh, I’ve never seen anyone do that before. Or even heard about it.” Ethan shuffled about uneasily as Kurt dragged the dead body of the werebear out of the pool and into one of the dark alcoves under the metal rings. “I mean, I know we bite humans to make them werewolves, but I don’t know any werewolves that actually fight with their fangs.”

“They’re more than just status symbols.” Axel grunted, moving unsteadily towards him, using the wall for support until Ethan darted forward and wrapped an arms around Axel’s waist. “Thanks. We couldn’t let her leave, not that she would run; werebears will always fight when backed into a corner; she would have tried to kill all of us and…I couldn’t let that happen.”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“I thought with your, hah, modern sensibilities, you’d object?” Axel muttered, glancing sideways at Ethan as the werewolf lowered him onto the edge of the first metal ring. “No?”

“I can be pragmatic.” Ethan shrugged, looking up as Kurt came back. “I just don’t understand what’s so special about that idol.”

“The _Geschenk des Königs_ is a form of power transfer,” Kurt began after Axel nodded. “It allows a Löwenmensch _König_ , or the Imperial _König_ to activate the dormant shape-shifting power in a werebear. There’s a blood sacrifice needed to awaken the, um, magic, I suppose, that fuels the idol.”

“So, like druid magic?” Ethan hazarded and Kurt nodded. “Ok, I’ve had some experience with druids and darachs, not that I’d like to repeat it.”

“Come on, brother, let’s get you outside.” Kurt gestured for Ethan to help him and together they lifted Axel to his feet, the normally healthy glow of his features having fallen into ashen grey as his body slowly healed the deep wounds. “I’ll take your pain when we get to the surface.”

“I can help with that.” Ethan added.

“Thanks.”

 

“Here is far enough.” Axel grunted and they lowered him onto a tumbled down wall in the courtyard. The sun had risen fully, and Ethan grimaced as he looked at the grave wounds along Axel’s chest and arms. “It appears worse than it is.”

“I’d hope so! It’s like she tried to carve out your heart!”

“Kurt, return the _Geschenk des Königs_ , please, I’ll be ready to leave when you get back.” Axel gestured over his shoulder towards the tunnel entrance and his brother nodded, leaving them alone. He didn’t say anything else, closing his eyes instead as the sun bathed his face in a warm glow.

“I wish there was some water or something I could use to wash the blood off.” Ethan muttered, unpleasant memories surfacing of Aiden’s death playing back across his mind’s eye as he examined Axel’s chest and head injuries. “Then we could see how much damage she caused.”

“Not too bad, I’ve had worse.” The Löwenmensch shrugged, opening his eyes and offering Ethan a reassuring smile. “Thank you for your help back there.”

“I didn’t really do anything.”

“You did enough.” Axel smiled again, before glancing into the sky.

“What?” Ethan followed his gaze, spotting a hovering speck high above them, the bird’s cry echoing down a moment later. “Is that one of your falcons?”

“Not ours, but I think…” He trailed off as he got to his feet, accepting Ethan’s assistance to stand up. Axel raised his left arm and they watched as the falcon glided gracefully towards them. “Yes, I thought so, see the markings along its legs? Our ally in the east must have more news.”

“Who is this…ally?” Ethan paused as the bird swooped down, wings spread wide, before landing on Axel’s outstretched arm, the talons gripping his flesh carefully. “Err, don’t you need a glove for it to hold onto?”

“They know not to grip too hard.” Axel explained, reaching in to pull the small scroll off its leg, reading the message as his expression darkened. “We have to return to the valley, quickly.”

“Why?” Ethan asked, unease filling his stomach as the falcon stared intently at him. _Ok, that bird is freaking me out, why is it looking at me like it knows what we're saying?!_ “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure; an envoy has come; he will be in the ruined village by nightfall.” Axel turned the scroll over and reached into his still bleeding wounds, using the blood as ink as he wrote his reply. “Sorry, that’s disgusting, I know, but we don’t have a pen…Here you go, my friend.” The Löwenmensch whispered, rolling the scroll back up and slipping it into the holder around the falcon’s leg. “Find your master.”

Ethan stared as the bird seemed to nod and then took to the air. “Uh, did that thing just-”

“There’s Kurt,” Axel talked over him, avoiding Ethan’s suspicious eyes. “Let’s head back, hmm? I’m sure you’ll be glad to get some food and sleep in a real bed!”

“I…yeah, sure.” Ethan muttered, feeling his head spin. _Secrets on secrets, these guys…still, at least Axel is alive, I don’t think I could have dealt with another person I care about dying._

**Author's Note:**

> Ethan will be the focus in Chapter Two, and I’ll alternate perspectives and characters until they meet each other later in the story, leading to eventual Jethan. Thanks for reading!


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